Dynamic improvisation capabilities as a learning mechanism in early internationalizing firms

Our study addresses an inconsistency in the literature on whether a lack of knowledge in early internationalizing firms is an obstacle or an advantage. We integrate learning, capabilities, and improvisation literature to reveal how case firms from New Zealand and Finland internationalize early under uncertainty and time pressure. We develop a process model and propositions to show how firms develop improvisation capabilities and subsequently rapidly acquire the international business knowledge that can explain early internationalization. Improvisation and the associated rapid learning complement the learning advantage of newness with an alternative explanation for early internationalization.© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Perceived Export Performance: The Invisible Part of the Iceberg

This study offers a more fine-grained view of perceived export performance (EP) and map out the key aspects of this phenomenon from the perspective of SME managers. Particularly, we explore the differences in managers' practices and their perceptions about underlying aspects of EP, including level of analysis, type of performance, mode of assessment, criteria, time frames, and frames of references. Furthermore, we explore some of the key reasons for variations in EP assessment practices. This study adopts an inductive approach based on semistructured interviews with 20 exporting SMEs in New Zealand. We observed that firms exhibit distinctive behavior in their EP assessment depending on their type of ownership, stage of internationalization, and perceived psychic distance toward target markets. We challenge the assumption that a single, universal EP evaluation model can be used for SMEs and suggest that the appropriate conceptualization of EP should be dictated by each firm's strategic orientation

Disentangling the effects of post-entry speed of internationalization on INVs’ export performance

This paper aims to explore the under-researched topic of post-entry speed of internationalization (PSI) in the context of international new ventures (INVs). We unbundle PSI and examine its relationship with both financial and non-financial export performance, considering three related, but conceptually distinct, dimensions of PSI: internationalization intensity, spread, and geographical diversity. Building on organizational learning theory, we highlight different mechanisms that contribute to post-entry performance outcomes among INVs. Our findings from a sample of 112 INVs in New Zealand provide evidence that the three dimensions of PSI are distinct and that they have different impacts on financial and non-financial export performance. This paper contributes to the limited, yet growing body of literature on PSI by providing a deeper understanding of PSI and its constituent dimensions. In addition, this study offers new theoretical insights into how and why different dimensions of post-entry speed of internationalization can contribute to stronger export performance

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

Network embeddedness in the internationalization of biotechnology entrepreneurs

This study investigates how entrepreneurs of biotech enterprises embed in domestic and international networks so as to internationalize. We advance a contextual framework of embeddedness of internationalizing entrepreneurs, providing a contribution (i) by synthesizing and applying existing conceptual insights from the networking literature to provide a more culturally sensitive view of getting embedded for international entrepreneurship in the biotech industry and (ii) by adding insights into the practices and (micro)processes of how and in what ways embeddedness integrates with the internationalization of biotech entrepreneurs. Our study involves six entrepreneurs from Canada, Finland, and New Zealand. Context-specific embeddedness was studied by exploring the (i) type, (ii) strength, (iii) locality, and (iv) importance of the international and national network ties among internationalizing entrepreneurs. We found differences in relation to the locality of universities and research institutes, role and type of financiers, and customer focus in internationalization. For instance, while customers were central to the embeddedness of Canadian and New Zealand entrepreneurs, Finnish entrepreneurs had no focus on their customers, but acted solely through sales channels and partners. The customer focus of New Zealand entrepreneurs was mainly international, whereas it was domestic in the case of Canadian entrepreneurs

International trade performance of New Zealand manufacturing: An industry and enterprise-level study

This thesis attempts to establish the key factors influencing trade performance at both industry and enterprise-level. The underlying purpose is to consolidate the diverse literature in International Marketing as well as provide new insights. For the industry-level study, trade performance models are developed and tested to explain changes in exports and imports for a cross-section of New Zealand manufacturing industries between 1985 and 1990. Increased exports are associated with larger firm sizes, lower levels of advertising intensity and least trade protection (by either tariff or export subsidy). The largest increases in imports have been in those industries which are relatively highly concentrated, with higher R&D intensities, and higher levels of tariff protection and foreign ownership. The key to raising the export performance of manufacturing in general, seems to lie with increasing the quantity and improving the quality of product-related R&D carried out in New Zealand. A meta-analysis of 111 studies on export performance conducted during the period 1978-1991 was done to identify the key variables at enterprise-level. A multi-case study of 12 small to medium-sized firms, six from the timber processing industry and six from the electrical industrial machinery industry, was conducted to gather data for this section. The key variables identified in the meta-analysis are confirmed. The findings show that firm size drives export growth at both industry and enterprise-level. The study provides new insights on how the export behaviour process operates. Enterprises in both industries behave in a similar manner but there are significant differences in the behaviour between exporters and non-exporters. There is considerable overlap within export strategies among the group of eight exporters thus ruling out export strategy as an explanation for export performance

Mutual commitment and experiential knowledge in international business relationships

Numerous studies have identified various patterns of behaviour byfirms developing international business relationships, but littleattention has been devoted to empirical studies of the dynamicprocesses within these international business relationships. Thispaper contributes towards a better understanding of how marketknowledge and market commitment are developed insupplier/customer relationships in international markets. It reportsthe empirical testing of a dynamic model of increasing commitmentand experiential knowledge development in international businessrelationships. The model shows that the dynamics of experientialknowledge generation seem to take place mainly in the mutualrelationship development, not so much within the individual firmsthat develop the relationship. The dynamics of the model are that adomestic supplier replaces his business relationships with existingcustomers for other business relationships with customers that aremore embedded in the foreign market. This process shows how thesupplier’s increased knowledge of the business network that aforeign customer is embedded in makes it possible for the supplierto overstep the customer and deal with firms that are moreembedded in the local market. The model thus explicates a processof increasing foreign market involvement