Navigating the internationalization process: Strategic resources for early internationalizing firms

Angélique Breuillot (), Rachel Bocquet and Véronique Favre-Bonté ()
Additional contact information
Angélique Breuillot: Manchester Metropolitan University
Véronique Favre-Bonté: Savoie Mont Blanc University

Journal of International Entrepreneurship, 2022, vol. 20, issue 2, No 4, 282-315

Abstract: Abstract Despite an increasing number of studies identifying factors that influence the internationalization process for early internationalizing firms (EIFs), it remains unclear which of these numerous factors could play a strategic role and, more specifically, when. This paper develops a new conceptual framework anchored in the resource-based view to identify strategic resources that can explain EIFs’ internationalization process accurately over time. Building on a systematic literature review based on 102 papers covering a period of 29 years, we methodically present a phase-by-phase observation of EIFs’ internationalization process to identify the strategic relevance of different influential resources. The results highlight the importance of the shift from individual to organizational resources, which occurs at a critical phase of transition from the entry to the post-entry phase. Studying the evolution of strategic resources along four phases allows us to determine that the progress of EIFs through the phases of their internationalization process is closely linked to their resources’ development process. This study suggests some promising research avenues, at theoretical and methodological levels, and results in a series of concrete recommendations intended for entrepreneurs and/or managers of EIFs.

Keywords: International entrepreneurship; Early internationalizing firms; Internationalization process; Resource-based view; Systematic review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: M16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10843-022-00308-z Abstract (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
Working Paper: Navigating the internationalization process: Strategic resources for early internationalizing firms (2022)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:kap:jinten:v:20:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s10843-022-00308-z

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... ip/journal/10843/PS2

DOI: 10.1007/s10843-022-00308-z

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of International Entrepreneurship is currently edited by Hamid Etemad

More articles in Journal of International Entrepreneurship from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().