Internationalisation in Malaysian furniture firms: gradual or rapid internationalisation?

The study of the initial steps in a firm's international development has traditionally been dominated by various forms of the 'stage theory', but these theories have been challenged more recently by evidence that rapid internationalisation can take place in certain firms – contradicting the notion of gradual development that was an essential aspect of the stage-model perspective. Moreover, earlier studies and models have been developed in industrialised countries. The present study examines the internationalisation of Malaysian furniture firms and concludes that the traditional stage models are not suited to understanding the development of these firms. The firms did not expand in a gradual manner, and did not choose markets that were 'psychically close' to Malaysia. The emerging literature on 'born globals' was a better tool for understanding the development of these firms. However, this literature must be complemented with country-specific and industry-specific factors, if full understanding of the international expansion of firms in developing countries, such as Malaysia, is to be achieved.