Determinants of Internationalization as Levers for Sustainability: A Study of the Portuguese Pharmaceutical Sector

Jorge Vieira, Rui Frade, Raquel Ascenso, Filipa Martinho and Domingos Martinho
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Jorge Vieira: ISLA Santarém, Largo Cândido Reis, 2000-241 Santarém, Portugal
Rui Frade: ISLA Santarém, Largo Cândido Reis, 2000-241 Santarém, Portugal
Raquel Ascenso: ISLA Santarém, Largo Cândido Reis, 2000-241 Santarém, Portugal
Filipa Martinho: ISLA Santarém, Largo Cândido Reis, 2000-241 Santarém, Portugal
Domingos Martinho: ISLA Santarém, Largo Cândido Reis, 2000-241 Santarém, Portugal

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 17, 1-16

Abstract: The pharmaceutical industry is facing the pressure of a global economy, loss of value in local markets and the highly intense innovation that characterizes this sector. This has a heavy impact, particularly in smaller economies. With this investigation, we intend to identify the determinants of internationalization as levers for sustainability in the pharmaceutical export sector of a small economy. Data was collected from a sample representing 63% of the total universe, Portuguese pharmaceutical organizations with exporting activity. A contextualization of the sector and a bibliographic review were previously carried out, which laid the groundwork for the empirical framework. This study revealed a deeply internationalized sector conditioned by a few shortcomings, namely a certain lack of sustainable competitive advantages, relatively low investment in research and development (R&D), insufficient innovation in internationalization strategies as well as scarce institutional support. Our findings may help pave the way for a more complete understanding of the dynamics of internationalization in highly competitive sectors.

Keywords: pharmaceutical industry; internationalization determinants; internationalization strategy; levers for sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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