Internationalization through exaptation: The role of domestic geographical dispersion in the internationalization process

Grazia Santangelo and Tamara Stucchi
Additional contact information
Tamara Stucchi: University of Catania

Journal of International Business Studies, 2018, vol. 49, issue 6, No 6, 753-760

Abstract: Abstract We introduce the notion of exaptation to internationalization theory, a process in which a capability is re-used for a purpose and in a context different than its historical purpose and context. Specifically, we examine which domestic capabilities may be redeployed when organizations engage in cross-border M&As for the first time. We suggest that organizations exapt (re-use) coordination and control capabilities, initially developed to manage domestic geographical dispersion, to acquire and integrate external resources across borders. By analyzing 693 Indian business groups over a decade, we add to the recent effort to frame the internationalization process within evolutionary theory.

Keywords: internationalization process; exaptation; organizational learning; economic geography; evolutionary theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41267-018-0151-y Abstract (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
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:pal:jintbs:v:49:y:2018:i:6:d:10.1057_s41267-018-0151-y

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... nt/journal/41267/PS2

DOI: 10.1057/s41267-018-0151-y

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of International Business Studies is currently edited by John Cantwell

More articles in Journal of International Business Studies from Palgrave Macmillan, Academy of International Business
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().