IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/jintbs/v48y2017i4d10.1057_s41267-017-0070-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Beyond categorization: New directions for theory development about entrepreneurial internationalization

Author

Listed:
  • A Rebecca Reuber

    (University of Toronto)

  • Pavlos Dimitratos

    (University of Glasgow)

  • Olli Kuivalainen

    (Lappeenranta University of Technology
    University of Manchester)

Abstract

Categorizations emphasizing the earliness of internationalization have long been a cornerstone of international entrepreneurship research. Here we contend that the prominence of categories has not been commensurate with theory development associated with them. We draw on categorization theory to explain why earliness-based categories are persistent, and argue that a greater focus on notions related to opportunity can open new avenues of research about the entrepreneurial internationalization of business. We propose and discuss three directions for opportunity-based research on entrepreneurial internationalization, involving context, dynamics and variety.

Suggested Citation

  • A Rebecca Reuber & Pavlos Dimitratos & Olli Kuivalainen, 2017. "Beyond categorization: New directions for theory development about entrepreneurial internationalization," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 48(4), pages 411-422, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:jintbs:v:48:y:2017:i:4:d:10.1057_s41267-017-0070-3
    DOI: 10.1057/s41267-017-0070-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41267-017-0070-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41267-017-0070-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jean–François Hennart, 2014. "The Accidental Internationalists: A Theory of Born Globals," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 38(1), pages 117-135, January.
    2. Andrei Kuznetsov & Olga Kuznetsova, 2014. "Building professional discourse in emerging markets: Language, context and the challenge of sensemaking," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 45(5), pages 583-599, June.
    3. John A Mathews & Ivo Zander, 2007. "The international entrepreneurial dynamics of accelerated internationalisation," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(3), pages 387-403, May.
    4. Marie Oehme & Suleika Bort, 2015. "SME internationalization modes in the German biotechnology industry: The influence of imitation, network position, and international experience," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 46(6), pages 629-655, August.
    5. Sharon A. Alvarez & Jay B. Barney & Philip Anderson, 2013. "Forming and Exploiting Opportunities: The Implications of Discovery and Creation Processes for Entrepreneurial and Organizational Research," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(1), pages 301-317, February.
    6. Jan Johanson & Jan-Erik Vahlne, 2009. "The Uppsala internationalization process model revisited: From liability of foreignness to liability of outsidership," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(9), pages 1411-1431, December.
    7. Gary A Knight & S Tamar Cavusgil, 2004. "Innovation, organizational capabilities, and the born-global firm," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 35(2), pages 124-141, March.
    8. Alvaro, Cuervo-Cazurra, 2011. "Selecting the country in which to start internationalization: The non-sequential internationalization model," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 46(4), pages 426-437, October.
    9. Catherine Welch & Rebecca Piekkari & Emmanuella Plakoyiannaki & Eriikka Paavilainen-Mantymaki, 2011. "Theorising from case studies: Towards a pluralist future for international business research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(5), pages 740-762, June.
    10. Elizabeth Maitland & André Sammartino, 2015. "Managerial cognition and internationalization," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 46(7), pages 733-760, September.
    11. Lianxi Zhou & Wei-ping Wu & Xueming Luo, 2007. "Internationalization and the performance of born-global SMEs: the mediating role of social networks," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(4), pages 673-690, July.
    12. Minyoung Kim, 2013. "Many roads lead to Rome: Implications of geographic scope as a source of isolating mechanisms," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 44(9), pages 898-921, December.
    13. David J Teece, 2014. "A dynamic capabilities-based entrepreneurial theory of the multinational enterprise," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 45(1), pages 8-37, January.
    14. Sui Sui & Matthias Baum, 2014. "Internationalization strategy, firm resources and the survival of SMEs in the export market," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 45(7), pages 821-841, September.
    15. Knight, Gary A. & Liesch, Peter W., 2016. "Internationalization: From incremental to born global," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 93-102.
    16. Welch, Catherine L. & Welch, Lawrence S., 2009. "Re-internationalisation: Exploration and conceptualisation," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(6), pages 567-577, December.
    17. Erkko Autio, 2005. "Creative tension: the significance of Ben Oviatt's and Patricia McDougall's article ‘toward a theory of international new ventures’," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 36(1), pages 9-19, January.
    18. Ted Baker & Eric Gedajlovic & Michael Lubatkin, 2005. "A Framework for Comparing Entrepreneurship Processes across Nations," Post-Print hal-02311659, HAL.
    19. Grazia D Santangelo & Klaus E Meyer, 2011. "Extending the internationalization process model: Increases and decreases of MNE commitment in emerging economies," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(7), pages 894-909, September.
    20. Paul D Ellis, 2011. "Social ties and international entrepreneurship: Opportunities and constraints affecting firm internationalization," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(1), pages 99-127, January.
    21. Alvarez, Sharon A. & Young, Susan L. & Woolley, Jennifer L., 2015. "Opportunities and institutions: A co-creation story of the king crab industry," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 95-112.
    22. Ted Baker & Eric Gedajlovic & Michael Lubatkin, 2005. "A framework for comparing entrepreneurship processes across nations," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 36(5), pages 492-504, September.
    23. Mika Gabrielsson & Peter Gabrielsson & Pavlos Dimitratos, 2014. "International Entrepreneurial Culture and Growth of International New Ventures," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 54(4), pages 445-471, August.
    24. Crick, Dave, 2004. "U.K. SMEs' decision to discontinue exporting: an exploratory investigation into practices within the clothing industry," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 561-587, July.
    25. S Tamer Cavusgil & Gary Knight, 2015. "The born global firm: An entrepreneurial and capabilities perspective on early and rapid internationalization," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 46(1), pages 3-16, January.
    26. Cliff, Jennifer E. & Jennings, P. Devereaux & Greenwood, Royston, 2006. "New to the game and questioning the rules: The experiences and beliefs of founders who start imitative versus innovative firms," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 21(5), pages 633-663, September.
    27. Dimitratos, Pavlos & Amorós, José Ernesto & Etchebarne, María Soledad & Felzensztein, Christian, 2014. "Micro-multinational or not? International entrepreneurship, networking and learning effects," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(5), pages 908-915.
    28. Jean-Philippe Vergne & Colette Depeyre, 2015. "How do firms adapt? A fuzzy-set analysis of the role of cognition and capabilities in U.S. defense firms’ responses to 9/11," Post-Print hal-01274005, HAL.
    29. Elizabeth G. Pontikes & William P. Barnett, 2015. "The Persistence of Lenient Market Categories," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(5), pages 1415-1431, October.
    30. Peter J Buckley & Mark C Casson, 2009. "The internalisation theory of the multinational enterprise: A review of the progress of a research agenda after 30 years," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(9), pages 1563-1580, December.
    31. Stephanie A Fernhaber & Brett Anitra Gilbert & Patricia P McDougall, 2008. "International entrepreneurship and geographic location: an empirical examination of new venture internationalization," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 39(2), pages 267-290, March.
    32. Thomas Hutzschenreuter & Johannes C. Voll & Alain Verbeke, 2011. "The Impact of Added Cultural Distance and Cultural Diversity on International Expansion Patterns: A Penrosean Perspective," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(2), pages 305-329, March.
    33. Harry P Bowen & Dirk De Clercq, 2008. "Institutional context and the allocation of entrepreneurial effort," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 39(4), pages 768-768, June.
    34. Luis E Lopez & Sumit K Kundu & Luciano Ciravegna, 2009. "Born global or born regional? Evidence from an exploratory study in the Costa Rican software industry," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(7), pages 1228-1238, September.
    35. Andrew B. Bernard & J. Bradford Jensen, 2004. "Why Some Firms Export," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 86(2), pages 561-569, May.
    36. Kuivalainen, Olli & Saarenketo, Sami & Puumalainen, Kaisu, 2012. "Start-up patterns of internationalization: A framework and its application in the context of knowledge-intensive SMEs," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 30(4), pages 372-385.
    37. Jones, Marian V. & Coviello, Nicole & Tang, Yee Kwan, 2011. "International Entrepreneurship research (1989–2009): A domain ontology and thematic analysis," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 26(6), pages 632-659.
    38. Paul M Vaaler, 2011. "Immigrant remittances and the venture investment environment of developing countries," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(9), pages 1121-1149, December.
    39. Stephen J. Kobrin, 1991. "An empirical analysis of the determinants of global integration," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(S1), pages 17-31, June.
    40. Crick, Dave & Spence, Martine, 2005. "The internationalisation of 'high performing' UK high-tech SMEs: a study of planned and unplanned strategies," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 167-185, April.
    41. Jeffery S. McMullen & Dimo Dimov, 2013. "Time and the Entrepreneurial Journey: The Problems and Promise of Studying Entrepreneurship as a Process," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(8), pages 1481-1512, December.
    42. Pontikes, Elizabeth G. & Barnett, William P., 2015. "The Persistence of Lenient Market Categories," Research Papers 3002, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.
    43. Baum, Matthias & Schwens, Christian & Kabst, Ruediger, 2015. "A latent class analysis of small firms’ internationalization patterns," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(4), pages 754-768.
    44. Marian V Jones & Nicole E Coviello, 2005. "Internationalisation: conceptualising an entrepreneurial process of behaviour in time," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 36(3), pages 284-303, May.
    45. Bell, Jim & McNaughton, Rod & Young, Stephen, 2001. "'Born-again global' firms: An extension to the 'born global' phenomenon," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 7(3), pages 173-189.
    46. Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra & Ulf Andersson & Mary Yoko Brannen & Bo Bernhard Nielsen & A. Rebecca Reuber, 2016. "From the Editors: Can I trust your findings? Ruling out alternative explanations in international business research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 47(8), pages 881-897, October.
    47. Agnieszka Chidlow & Emmanuella Plakoyiannaki & Catherine Welch, 2014. "Translation in cross-language international business research: Beyond equivalence," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 45(5), pages 562-582, June.
    48. Nicole Coviello, 2015. "Re-thinking research on born globals," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 46(1), pages 17-26, January.
    49. Gary A Knight & S Tamer Cavusgil, 2004. "Innovation, organizational capabilities, and the born-global firm," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 35(4), pages 334-334, July.
    50. Benjamin M Oviatt & Patricia P McDougall, 2005. "The internationalization of entrepreneurship," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 36(1), pages 2-8, January.
    51. John H Dunning, 2009. "Location and the multinational enterprise: John Dunning's thoughts on receiving the Journal of International Business Studies 2008 Decade Award," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(1), pages 20-34, January.
    52. Nicole E Coviello, 2006. "The network dynamics of international new ventures," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 37(5), pages 713-731, September.
    53. Ram Mudambi & Shaker A Zahra, 2007. "The survival of international new ventures," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(2), pages 333-352, March.
    54. Jeffrey G. Covin & Danny Miller, 2014. "International Entrepreneurial Orientation: Conceptual Considerations, Research Themes, Measurement Issues, and Future Research Directions," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 38(1), pages 11-44, January.
    55. Elitsa R Banalieva & Kimberly A Eddleston, 2011. "Home-region focus and performance of family firms: The role of family vs non-family leaders," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(8), pages 1060-1072, October.
    56. Ryan J Orr & W Richard Scott, 2008. "Institutional exceptions on global projects: a process model," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 39(4), pages 562-588, June.
    57. Dimo Dimov, 2011. "Grappling with the Unbearable Elusiveness of Entrepreneurial Opportunities," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 35(1), pages 57-81, January.
    58. Joshua K Ault, 2016. "An institutional perspective on the social outcome of entrepreneurship: Commercial microfinance and inclusive markets," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 47(8), pages 951-967, October.
    59. Suddaby, Roy & Bruton, Garry D. & Si, Steven X., 2015. "Entrepreneurship through a qualitative lens: Insights on the construction and/or discovery of entrepreneurial opportunity," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 1-10.
    60. Terence Fan & Phillip Phan, 2007. "International new ventures: revisiting the influences behind the ‘born-global’ firm," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(7), pages 1113-1131, December.
    61. Stephanie A. Fernhaber & Dan Li, 2010. "The Impact of Interorganizational Imitation on New Venture International Entry and Performance," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 34(1), pages 1-30, January.
    62. Shameen Prashantham & Steven W Floyd, 2012. "Routine microprocesses and capability learning in international new ventures," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 43(6), pages 544-562, August.
    63. MB Sarkar & S Tamer Cavusgil & Preet S Aulakh, 1999. "International Expansion of Telecommunication Carriers: The Influence of Market Structure, Network Characteristics, and Entry Imperfections," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 30(2), pages 361-381, June.
    64. Phillips McDougall, Patricia & Shane, Scott & Oviatt, Benjamin M., 1994. "Explaining the formation of international new ventures: The limits of theories from international business research," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 9(6), pages 469-487, November.
    65. Davidsson, Per, 2015. "Entrepreneurial opportunities and the entrepreneurship nexus: A re-conceptualization," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 674-695.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. A. Rebecca Reuber & Gary A. Knight & Peter W. Liesch & Lianxi Zhou, 2018. "International entrepreneurship: The pursuit of entrepreneurial opportunities across national borders," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(4), pages 395-406, May.
    2. Rubina Romanello & Maria Chiarvesio, 2019. "Early internationalizing firms: 2004–2018," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 172-219, June.
    3. Dzikowski, Piotr, 2018. "A bibliometric analysis of born global firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 281-294.
    4. Jiang, Guohua & Kotabe, Masaaki & Zhang, Feng & Hao, Andy W. & Paul, Justin & Wang, Cheng Lu, 2020. "The determinants and performance of early internationalizing firms: A literature review and research agenda," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(4).
    5. Farhad Uddin Ahmed & Louis Brennan, 2021. "A review of methodological diversity within the domain of international entrepreneurship," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 256-299, June.
    6. Jones, Marian V. & Coviello, Nicole & Tang, Yee Kwan, 2011. "International Entrepreneurship research (1989–2009): A domain ontology and thematic analysis," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 26(6), pages 632-659.
    7. Jean-François Hennart & Antonio Majocchi & Birgit Hagen, 2021. "What’s so special about born globals, their entrepreneurs or their business model?," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 52(9), pages 1665-1694, December.
    8. Francisco García-Lillo & Enrique Claver-Cortés & Bartolomé Marco-Lajara & Mercedes Úbeda-García, 2017. "Mapping the Intellectual Structure of Research on ‘Born Global’ Firms and INVs: A Citation/Co-citation Analysis," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 57(4), pages 631-652, August.
    9. Susan L Young & Christopher Welter & Michael Conger, 2018. "Stability vs. flexibility: The effect of regulatory institutions on opportunity type," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(4), pages 407-441, May.
    10. Khan, Zaheer & Lew, Yong Kyu, 2018. "Post-entry survival of developing economy international new ventures: A dynamic capability perspective," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 149-160.
    11. Ciravegna, Luciano & Kuivalainen, Olli & Kundu, Sumit K. & Lopez, Luis E., 2018. "The antecedents of early internationalization: A configurational perspective," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(6), pages 1200-1212.
    12. Baum, Matthias & Schwens, Christian & Kabst, Ruediger, 2015. "A latent class analysis of small firms’ internationalization patterns," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(4), pages 754-768.
    13. Knight, Gary A. & Liesch, Peter W., 2016. "Internationalization: From incremental to born global," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 93-102.
    14. Alexander Tabares & Yanto Chandra & Claudia Alvarez & Manuela Escobar-Sierra, 2021. "Opportunity-related behaviors in international entrepreneurship research: a multilevel analysis of antecedents, processes, and outcomes," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 321-368, March.
    15. Indujeeva Peiris & Michèle Akoorie & Paresha Sinha, 2012. "International entrepreneurship: A critical analysis of studies in the past two decades and future directions for research," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 10(4), pages 279-324, December.
    16. Paul, Justin & Parthasarathy, Sundar & Gupta, Parul, 2017. "Exporting challenges of SMEs: A review and future research agenda," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(3), pages 327-342.
    17. Shaheer, Noman Ahmed & Li, Sali, 2020. "The CAGE around cyberspace? How digital innovations internationalize in a virtual world," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 35(1).
    18. Alain Verbeke & Luciano Ciravegna, 2018. "International entrepreneurship research versus international business research: A false dichotomy?," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(4), pages 387-394, May.
    19. Gerschewski, Stephan & Rose, Elizabeth L. & Lindsay, Valerie J., 2015. "Understanding the drivers of international performance for born global firms: An integrated perspective," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(3), pages 558-575.
    20. Yoruk, Deniz E. & Bunduchi, Raluca & Yoruk, Esin & Crișan-Mitra, Catalina & Salanță, Irina-Iulia & Crișan, Emil Lucian, 2021. "Pathways to innovation in Romanian software SMEs: Exploring the impact of interdependencies between internationalisation and knowledge sources," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(4).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:jintbs:v:48:y:2017:i:4:d:10.1057_s41267-017-0070-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.