Abstract
Digital technologies offer new opportunities of business for entrepreneurs that possess big data and analytical skills. In particular, in the international competition context, new opportunities for new ventures internationalization arise in sectors related to Industry 4.0 digital technologies. However, when internationalization and digitalization merge, the dynamics can change, opening a new area of research still little investigated. To contribute to fill this gap, we adopted a case study approach to investigate the internationalization process of a digital International New Venture, which offers services related to Big Data and Analytics. Preliminary findings highlight factors influencing the growth process of this company, showing opportunities and challenges related to digitalization. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of the authors´findings, opening new debates for international entrepreneurship research and practice.
References
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Sheng, J., Amankwah-Amoah, J., & Wang, X. (2017). A multidisciplinary perspective of big data in management research. International Journal of Production Economics, 191, 97-112.
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Turcan, R. V., & Juho, A. (2014). What happens to international new ventures beyond start-up: An exploratory study. Journal of International Entrepreneurship, 12(2), 129-145.
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Wamba, S. F., Gunasekaran, A., Akter, S., Ren, S. J. F., Dubey, R., & Childe, S. J. (2017). Big data analytics and firm performance: Effects of dynamic capabilities. Journal of Business Research, 70, 356-365.
Zander, I., McDougall-Covin, P., & Rose, E. L. (2015). Born globals and international business: Evolution of a field of research. Journal of International Business Studies, 46(1), 27-35.
Cavusgil, S.T. & Knight, Gary (2015). The born global firm: an entrepreneurial and International Business Studies, 46(1), 3-16.
Chandra, Y., Styles, C., & Wilkinson, I. F. (2012). An opportunity-based view of rapid internationalization. Journal of International Marketing, 20(1), 74-102.
Chiarvesio, M., & Romanello, R. (2018). Industry 4.0 Technologies and Internationalization: Insights from Italian Companies. In International Business in the Information and Digital Age (pp. 357-378). Emerald Publishing Limited.
Coelho, B. V., de Mello, R. C., & da Rocha, A. (2014). Leblon Cachaça: A born global in a traditional industry. Journal of Business Research, 67(4), 567-575.
Coviello, N., Kano, L., & Liesch, P. W. (2017). Adapting the Uppsala model to a modern world: Macro-context and microfoundations. Journal of International Business Studies, 48(9), 1151-1164.
Coviello, N. (2015). Re-thinking research on born globals. Journal of International Business Studies, 46(1), 17-26.
Di Gregorio, D., Musteen, M., & Thomas, D. E. (2008). International new ventures: The cross-border nexus of individuals and opportunities. Journal of World Business, 43(2), 186-196.
Efrat, K., Shoham, A. (2012). Born global firms: The differences between their short- and long-term performance drivers. Journal of World Business; 47 (4), 675-685.
Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989). Building theories from case study research. Academy of Management Review, 14, 532-550.
Eisenhardt, K. M., & Graebner, M.E. (2007). Theory building from cases: opportunities and challenges. Academy of Management, 50(1), 25-32.
Evangelista, F. (2005). Qualitative insights into the international new venture creation process. Journal of International Entrepreneurship; 3 (3), 179-198.
Evers, N. (2010). Factors influencing the internationalization of new ventures in the Irish aquaculture industry: An exploratory study. Journal of International Entrepreneurship, 8(4), 392- 416.
Garcia-Lillo, F., Claver-Cortés, E., Marco-Lajara, B., & Ubeda-Garcia, M. (2017). Mapping the intellectual structure of research on ‘born global’firms and INVs: A citation/co-citation analysis. Management International Review, 57(4), 631-652.
Gabrielsson, M., Kirpalani, V. M., Dimitratos, P., Solberg, C. A., & Zucchella, A. (2008). Born globals: Propositions to help advance the theory. International Business Review, 17(4), 385-401.
Hagen, B., & Zucchella, A. (2014). Born global or born to run? The long-term growth of born global firms. Management International Review, 54(4), 497-525.
Hannibal, M., & Knight, G. (2018). Additive manufacturing and the global factory: Disruptive technologies and the location of international business. International Business Review, 27(6), 1116-1127.
Hitt, M. A., Li, D., & Xu, K. (2016). International strategy: From local to global and beyond. Journal of World Business, 51(1), 58-73.
Karra, N., Phillips, N., & Tracey, P. (2008). Building the born global firm: developing entrepreneurial capabilities for international new venture success. Long Range Planning, 41(4), 440-458.
Kleindienst, M., & Ramsauer, C. (2016). SMEs and Industry 4.0–Introducing a KPI based Procedure Model to identify Focus Areas in Manufacturing Industry. Athens journal of business & economics, 2(2), 109-122.
Knight, G.A., Cavusgil, S.T. (1996). The born-global firm: a challenge to traditional internationalization theory. Advances in international marketing, Vol. 7, Greenwich, CN. JAI PRESS.
Knight, G.A., Cavusgil, S.T. (2004). Innovation, organizational capabilities, and the born-global firm; 2004; Journal of International Business Studies; 35; 2; 124-141.
Knight, G. A., & Liesch, P. W. (2016). Internationalization: From incremental to born global. Journal of World Business, 51 (1), 93-102.
La Valle, S., Lesser, E., Shockley, R., Hopkins, M.S., & Kruschwitz, N. (2011). Big Data, analytics, and the Path from Insights to Value. MIT SLOAN Management Review, 52(2), 20-33.
McDougall, P. P. (1989). International versus domestic entrepreneurship: new venture strategic behavior and industry structure. Journal of Business Venturing, 4(6), 387-400.
Ng, I. C., & Wakenshaw, S. Y. (2017). The Internet-of-Things: Review and research directions. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 34(1), 3-21.
Nordman, E. R., & Melén, S. (2008). The impact of different kinds of knowledge for the internationalization process of born globals in the biotech business. Journal of World Business, 43(2), 171-185.
Oviatt B.M., McDougall P.P. (1994). Toward a theory of international new ventures. Journal of International Business Studies, 25(1), 45-64.
Piqueras, S. (2019). Digital Internationalizing Firms: a
systematic literature review and future research agenda. Internationalization of SMEs – New Insights and Future Research Opportunities. Free University of Bozen (IT). Abstract published in the conference proceedings, ISBN: 979-12-200-4857-6.
Porter, M. E., & Heppelmann, J. E. (2014). How smart, connected products are transforming competition. Harvard Business Review, 92(11), 64 - 88.
Porter, M. E., & Heppelmann, J. E. (2015). How smart, connected products are transforming companies. Harvard Business Review, 93 (10), 96-114.
Rialp, A., Rialp, J., Knight, G.A. (2005). The phenomenon of early internationalizing firms: What do we know after a decade (1993-2003) of scientific inquiry?. International Business Review, 14 (2) 147 – 166.
Romanello, R., & Chiarvesio, M. (2017). Turning point: when born globals enter post-entry stage. Journal of International Entrepreneurship, 15(2), 177-206.
Romanello, R., & Chiarvesio, M. (2019). Early internationalizing firms: 2004–2018. Journal of International Entrepreneurship, 1-48.
Rüßmann, M., Lorenz, M., Gerbert, P., Waldner, M., Justus, J., Engel, P., & Harnisch, M. (2015). Industry 4.0: The future of productivity and growth in manufacturing industries. Boston Consulting Group, 1 - 9.
Sheng, J., Amankwah-Amoah, J., & Wang, X. (2017). A multidisciplinary perspective of big data in management research. International Journal of Production Economics, 191, 97-112.
Strange, R., Zucchella, A. (2017). Industry 4.0, Global Value Chains and International Business. Multinational Business Review, 25 (3), 174-184.
Turcan, R. V. (2013). The philosophy of turning points: A case of de-internationalization. In Philosophy of science and meta-knowledge in international business and management (pp. 219-235). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Turcan, R. V., & Juho, A. (2014). What happens to international new ventures beyond start-up: An exploratory study. Journal of International Entrepreneurship, 12(2), 129-145.
Veglio V., Romanello R. (2019) “What is the potential of Big Data and Analytics? Insights for SMEs competing in the Digital Age”. Internationalization of SMEs – New Insights and Future Research Opportunities. Free University of Bozen (IT). Abstract published in the conference proceedings, ISBN: 979-12-200-4857-6.
Wamba, S. F., Gunasekaran, A., Akter, S., Ren, S. J. F., Dubey, R., & Childe, S. J. (2017). Big data analytics and firm performance: Effects of dynamic capabilities. Journal of Business Research, 70, 356-365.
Zander, I., McDougall-Covin, P., & Rose, E. L. (2015). Born globals and international business: Evolution of a field of research. Journal of International Business Studies, 46(1), 27-35.
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