To go or not to go? Opportunities as triggers of commitment to internationalisation

Schembri, J., Fletcher, M. and Buck, T. (2023) To go or not to go? Opportunities as triggers of commitment to internationalisation. Journal of World Business, 58(2), 101388. (doi: 10.1016/j.jwb.2022.101388)

Abstract

This paper extends our theoretical understanding of how international opportunities trigger the knowledge-commitment cycle and lead to growth. Longitudinal data from seven international firms was analysed to build a deep, processual understanding of the opportunities developed by the case study firms. Utilizing an abductive approach, the complexities and contextual dynamics of internationalisation processes were explored as they evolved, revealing that path-breaking opportunities are major events that disrupt the ongoing process of regular opportunity development and provide new knowledge that triggers a greater commitment to internationalisation. While firms may discover path-breaking opportunities at different points in their trajectory over hermeneutic and chronological time, key commitments to international markets are made when such opportunities are in hand or clearly in sight. Our use of an abductive process illustrates its intricacies and suitability for explaining temporal phenomena.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Fletcher, Professor Margaret and Buck, Professor Trevor
• Authors: Schembri, J., Fletcher, M., and Buck, T.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Management
• Journal Name: Journal of World Business
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 1090-9516
• ISSN (Online): 1878-5573
• Published Online: 05 November 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc.
• First Published: First published in Journal of World Business 58(2): 101388
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy