The traditional internationalization theories suggest that the process of going international is gradual. Recent theories about “born global” firms state they internationalize from the day they are founded or shortly thereafter. TAT (The Astonishing Tribe) is a small but growing Swedish software technology and design company and a “born global” company. TAT has a small number of very large companies as their customers, which could be unsafe if they were to lose one of these important clients. The strategic states model show the need for different combination of competitive edges and presents optimum strategies to reach high performance. To move to a more desirable state in the model the theory of customer capitalism is suggested in this thesis. The theory is supposed to make the customer “lock on” to a corporation for a win-win long term relationship. Two aspects of the theory that are more distinguished than the four others has been identified, these being relationship and developer.

<p>The traditional internationalization theories suggest that the process of going international is gradual. Recent theories about “born global” firms state they internationalize from the day they are founded or shortly thereafter. TAT (The Astonishing Tribe) is a small but growing Swedish software technology and design company and a “born global” company. TAT has a small number of very large companies as their customers, which could be unsafe if they were to lose one of these important clients.</p><p>The strategic states model show the need for different combination of competitive edges and presents optimum strategies to reach high performance. To move to a more desirable state in the model the theory of customer capitalism is suggested in this thesis. The theory is supposed to make the customer “lock on” to a corporation for a win-win long term relationship. Two aspects of the theory that are more distinguished than the four others has been identified, these being relationship and developer.</p>

Internationalization is a key concept in today’s globalized world. Globalization has brought about a major shift in the way firms internationalize. Previously, large firms were thought to follow an incremental internationalization process. However, as a result of the rise of international new ventures, the internationalization process has seen a dramatic shift in the internationalization process of firms. Firms no longer follow the traditional models of internationalization. Instead, there are three general phases an international new venture may pass through which are identified by Leonidou and Katsikeas (1996, p. 524): namely: pre-engagement, initial, and advanced.   The change in the internationalization process of firms has led firms access networks to internationalize. The use of networks have been shown to help international new ventures to skip the traditional phases of internationalization  and expand rapidly by linking themselves to established networks (Coviello &amp; Munro, 1995, p. 53). Participation in networks, among other benefits, includes acquiring the necessary knowledge for international operations.   Several important network forms have been identified by different authors. This raises the question what effect these network forms have at the phases of the internationalization process. Three major networks were identified, namely, social, business and intermediaries where each form has its own benefits in the internationalization process of an Small-to-Medium-Size Enterprise (SME). The forms of networks are often described as positive drivers for internationalization. We, however, think that there might also be negative aspects concerning the use of network for internationalization. This study sets out to find what the benefits of each form of network is and also how the networks are used in the internationalization process of an SME. We take into account the perspective of the entrepreneurs as to how they perceive network forms affecting SMEs’ performance at each phase of the internationalization process.  Along with that, we also aim to find out how the forms of networks interact with each other and how they evolve from one network to the other.   We use qualitative methods, in our study, by interviewing six SMEs located in northern Sweden. Multiple case studies were developed, in order to analyse the collected data from the semi-structured interviews. The collected data was transcribed and categorized in order to find the phases of internationalization, benefits of networks, interaction between networks and the negative aspects of networks. It was then analysed using the three predefined forms of networks: social, business and intermediaries.   The findings of the study show that business networks were the most widely used network form throughout the phases of the internationalization process. Social networks and intermediaries were used equally. However, social networks had a greater influence than intermediaries. Our research also identified three phases in the internationalization process. Networks were found to influence each other at all the phases of internationalization and therefore cannot be seperated from each other.

En los últimos años, la internacionalización ha sido tema de diversos estudios y que muchas empresas han visto como un objetivo cada vez más factible gracias a la globalización, permitiendo a las Born Global Firms (BGF) alcanzar este objetivo en corto tiempo y salir al extranjero desde sus inicios. Al mismo tiempo, en el mercado han surgido grupos de emprendedores que han desarrollado negocios de rápido crecimiento y escalabilidad conocidos como startups y que, recientemente, en el Perú está comenzando a tomar mayor fuerza gracias a la participación de entidades públicas y privadas del ecosistema. Dentro de este contexto, la presente investigación tiene como objetivo identificar los principales factores que permiten a una startup peruana desarrollarse como una BGF. Para tal fin, la investigación aplicó técnicas cualitativas basadas en entrevistas a expertos y representantes de algunas born global startups del ecosistema; además mediante encuestas a 80 startups peruanas como parte del estudio cuantitativo se realizó un análisis estadístico de relación entre los factores planteados y la posibilidad de lograr startups internacionales. De esta manera, con los resultados cualitativos y cuantitativos se concluyó que la visión global del modelo de negocios es el principal factor para desarrollar una Born Global startup en el Perú. Asimismo, se determinó que la experiencia previa de los fundadores y las redes de contactos constituyen factores críticos para proporcionar una mejor visión global. En contraste, se identificó al financiamiento como un factor de valor agregado al modelo, pero no determinante para la internacionalización de una startup. / In recent years, internationalization has been the subject of several studies and many companies have seen it as an increasingly feasible goal thanks to globalization and this phenomenon has allowed that Born Global Firms (BGF) to achieve this goal in a short time and go abroad since its inception. At the same time, the market has originated groups of entrepreneurs who have developed fast-growing and scalable businesses known as startups. Recently, in Peru, startups are beginning to take greater strength thanks to the participation of public and private entities of the ecosystem. In this context, the research aims to identify the main factors that help to develop a Peruvian startup like a BGF. For this purpose, the study applied qualitative techniques based on interviews to experts and representatives of some born global startups of the ecosystem. In addition, as part of the quantitative study, surveys were conducted to eighty startups that allowed develop statistical analysis of the relationship between the proposed factors and the possibility of getting international startups. In this way, with the qualitative and quantitative results, it was concluded that the global vision of business model is the main factor to develop a born global startup in the Peruvian ecosystem. Furthermore, it was determined that the previous experience of the founders and networking are critical factors to provide a better global vision. In contrast, financing was identified as a factor of value added to the model but not determinant for the internationalization of a startup. / Tesis

Si bien el título de la actual investigación abarca un campo muy amplio de observación, la intención fundamental del presente trabajo, en primer lugar, es validar el efecto de los factores asociados al éxito de internacionalización en las startups chilenas en una búsqueda exploratoria de información del ecosistema chileno. En segundo lugar, determinar si su aplicación genera o está generando un impacto positivo en el desarrollo del ecosistema peruano y en el proceso de internacionalización de sus startups a través de un análisis cualitativo. Para ello, en el capítulo I, se definen los conceptos “startups”, incubadoras, aceleradoras, ecosistema, financiamiento, En el capítulo II, como contextualización, se describe la situación actual de las startups chilenas y sus principales casos de éxito. Asimismo, se menciona la situación actual de las startups peruanas, sus principales casos de éxito y factores asociados al fracaso en el primer año. Luego se hace referencia a los objetivos de la investigación en base al problema planteado y las hipótesis respectivas. En el capítulo III, se presentará la metodología utilizada para el análisis y propuesta de investigación. En el capítulo IV, a nivel cualitativo, se presenta información correspondiente a entrevistas de profundidad realizadas a CEO’S de startups peruanas y chilenas sobre los factores asociados al desempeño y plan de internacionalización. En el capítulo V, se precisan conclusiones y recomendaciones de la presente investigación. / Although the title of the current research covers a wide field of observation, the fundamental intention of this paper, first, is to validate the effect of the factors associated with success in Chilean startups in an exploratory search for information on the Chilean ecosystem. Secondly, to determine if its application generates or is generating a positive impact on the development of the Peruvian ecosystem and the process of internationalization of its startups through a qualitative analysis. For this, in chapter I, the concepts "startups", incubators, accelerators, ecosystem, financing are defined. In chapter II, as a contextualization, the current situation of Chilean startups and their main success stories is described. Likewise, the current situation of Peruvian startups, their main success stories and factors associated with failure in the first year are mentioned. Then reference is made to the objectives of the investigation based on the problem posed and the respective hypotheses. In chapter III, the methodology used for the analysis and research proposal will be presented. In chapter IV, at a qualitative level, information is presented corresponding to in-depth interviews with CEOs of Peruvian and Chilean startups about the factors associated with performance and the internationalization plan. In chapter V, precise recommendations and recommendations of the present investigation are made. / Tesis

La investigación, analiza los principales factores y condiciones que inciden en la constitución de empresas Born Global en América Latina, con el fin de concluir en una base de fundamentos que sirvan para orientar a la política pública y al sector privado en la generación de propuestas de cambio, en favor de mayores oportunidades de internacionalización para las MyPEs en Perú. Para ello, se emplea la investigación cualitativa a fin de testear de manera empírica teorías previas relacionadas a la investigación, buscando dar respuesta a la problemática analizada. Como modelos de investigación se escogieron a las economías de Brasil, Chile y Argentina, haciendo uso del criterio establecido por Kathleen Eisenhardt (1989), sobre la cual se plantean referencias que se apoyan en el análisis de cada caso en particular. La investigación establece que los factores que inciden en la constitución de empresas Born Global son: La cultura del empresario y las políticas generadas a partir del rol del estado en favor de la creación y desarrollo del emprendimiento, este último, ha demostrado ser la clave en la etapa de nacimiento y consolidación de este tipo de empresas. Es así, que como objetivo para la investigación y sobre la base de un análisis exhaustivo de las similitudes y diferencias entre Perú y los países modelo seleccionados, determinamos cual es la implicancia real de los factores críticos que inciden en la constitución de empresas Born Global, concluyendo en una serie de fundamentos estructurales que dirijan a la investigación hacia el objetivo de favorecer a las MyPEs del país con propuestas de cambio concretas. / This investigation analyze the principal factors and conditions that affect the establishment of new Born Global enterprises around Latin America, with the principal objective of find fundaments that will reorient public politics and the private sector in the creation of new proposals to change the current situation of the international opportunities for the Peruvian MyPEs. Qualitative research is used in order to empirically test previous theories related to the research in order to answer the problematic analyzed. The countries of Brazil, Chile and Argentina were chosen as research models based in the criterion established by Kathleen Eisenhardt (1989), over this some references are going to be used in the analysis of each particular case. The principal factors that affect directly in the constitution of Born Global enterprises are: Entrepreneur’s culture and Government Politics and Rol in the creation and development of the entrepreneurship, this also is the key in the consolidation of Born Global in early stages. For this the principal objective of the investigation will we based in a deep analysis of the differences and similarities between Perú and the chosen countries. Finally, we will determinate the real implications of the critical factors that affect the constitution of Born Global, building a series of structural fundamentals that will guide the investigation to the objective of strength the Peruvian MyPEs with concrete recommendations. / Trabajo de Suficiencia Profesional

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to advance the understanding of internationalization among born global companies. In order to fulfil the purpose, three foreign market entries were investigated at a Swedish born global that offers digital streaming services for audiobooks. Method – We conducted a qualitative single case study with a grounded theory approach. The main data was collected through 22 interviews and 13 documents. The data analysis was two-folded; 1) content analysis for charting the market entries, and 2) thematic analysis for identifying challenges and how to address these. Findings – Our findings is divided into three parts. First, we present five challenges that born global companies might experience when they enter new foreign markets. These five challenges are sorted as primary; 1) lack of networks, 2) new-to-the-world, and 3) lack of partnerships, and secondary; 4) lack of market-specific knowledge, and 5) lack of support. Second, we provide eight actions that can be addressed to either one or more of the five challenges. The two actions that are most significant, i.e. can address the most challenges are; 1) utilize established investor, and 2) hire local and experienced employee on-site. Finally, the two research questions are compiled into a roadmap that provides a start-to-end guide for how conquer challenges for internationalization. Theoretical and practical implications – This study contributes to current internationalization literature by extending the view of born globals’ internationalization process. More specifically, it provides knowledge about possible challenges and how to address them, which previous literature has not explored. We believe that born globals can use the developed roadmap to increase their success rate. We also believe that the newly identified challenges can be used as a complement to the already explored success factors, in order to provide managers at born globals with a more holistic view of how to succeed with their internationalization journey.

Purpose – The purpose of this thesis was to investigate how networking is influenced by the choice of internationalization strategy of software firms with a born global mindset. To achieve this purpose, the following research questions were answered: How applicable is previous research on traditional internationalization strategies to born global software firms? How does networking vary between the different choices of internationalization strategy for born global software firms? Method – The research philosophy of this thesis was interpretivistic, supported by an abductive qualitative multi-method approach of exploratory character. Additionally, the data collection methods were literature studies, interviews and documentation conducted from six case companies. The collected data form the base of the developed networking and internationalization model which serves to support the general understanding of how born global software firms can internationalize and use networks to benefit their operations. Findings – By forming clusters and looking into how networking varies between the different choices of internationalization strategy, several types of internationalization strategies of born global software firms were identified, these being referred to as Nascent Global, Cautiously Global, Regionally Global and Instantly Global. Additionally, the results show that it is the choice of internationalization strategy that influences the choice of the networking activity. Nascent Global firms are firms who has not yet launched their service or decided upon internationalization strategy, they mostly network in order to strategize and plan; Cautiously Global firms operates nationally or have recently internationalized into another country, for them the networking focus lies on the process of learning to minimize the risk of mistakes or failure; Regionally Global firms are internationalizing incrementally with a regional focus and networking to access sources of knowledge; Instantly Global firms are those who are global right from inception where the focus is targeted at growth opportunities. Moreover, the findings show that Instantly Global firms are the ones that truly contradict traditional theory on internationalization strategies. Research limitations – The first limitation of this study is that we have solely focused on networking from the firm’s perspective and have not gone into the actual external network of each firm. Additionally, it would be appropriate to include a larger amount of case companies, in order to increase the level of generalizability. Nevertheless, due to limitations concerning the scale of work and time-constraints, six case companies were included. Further research – If practitioners would conduct a similar investigation of born global software firms, it would be interesting to conduct a quantitative study, analyzing potential linkages between the use of networks and internationalization. Also, since this study was cross-sectional, opportunities exist of conducting a longitudinal study, looking into how born global software firms change over time.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to find out how much influence underlying factors have in connection to the internationalization of Born Global firms. Methodology: This study has a qualitative approach in which data is obtained mainly through interviews and secondary data which consists previous theories about the internationalization in small and medium sized firms and recent theories that entitle these firms as Born Global. Conclusion: Based on the existing theories and the qualitative data, we have concluded that the underlying factors for the Born Global firm’s internationalization are abilities and opportunities to create insidership in relevant networks. The most crucial underlying factors for Born Global firm’s internationalization are the ability to create processes to break old patterns of thoughts and the ability to ally with right partners. / Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att ta reda på hur stor påverkan olika bakomliggande faktorer haft i samband med en internationalisering av Born Global-företag. Metod: Denna studie är av kvalitativ ansats där data har samlats in främst genom djupintervjuer och av tidigare teorier om små- och medelstora företags internationalisering samt senare teorier som benämner dessa företag som Born Global. Slutsats: Vi har utifrån befintliga teorier och empiri kommit fram till att bakomliggande faktorer som personliga förmågor och möjligheter behövs för att kunna skapa innanförskap i relevanta nätverk. De mest avgörande bakomliggande faktorerna för Born Global-företags internationalisering är förmågan att kunna skapa processer för att bryta invanda tankemönster samt förmågan att alliera sig med rätt partners.

[pt] O objetivo dessa tese é investigar em que medida duas importantes perspectivas teóricas – o modelo de processo de internacionalização de Uppsala e a perspectiva de Born Global - explicam aspectos do processo de internacionalização de uma organização não governamental (ONG) internacional, sob a ótica do processo. Para alcançar este objetivo, esta tese fez uso do método do estudo de caso único longitudinal. O estudo busca preencher uma lacuna teórica, uma vez que poucos estudos acadêmicos foram encontrados sobre o tema. A revisão de literatura compreende uma análise das perspectivas teóricas adotadas, de modo a definir as principais categorias de análise aplicadas ao caso, assim como uma revisão dos conceitos associados a ONGs de forma geral, além de referenciar a limitada literatura encontrada sobre internacionalização dessas organizações. O caso estudado é o da ONG denominada Médicos Sem Fronteiras (Médecin Sans Frontières). A seleção do caso foi feita em função da grande disponibilidade de dados secundários, tais como relatórios, livros, teses, entrevistas publicadas, documentos etc. , uma vez que se trata de uma organização grande e respeitada. O uso de depoimentos publicados foi bastante útil, uma vez que permitiu colher dados em maior profundidade e qualidade do que seria possível utilizando-se entrevistas locais. A análise comportou, inicialmente, uma descrição detalhada do histórico do caso, de modo a oferecer um panorama da evolução da ONG ao longo do tempo. O passo seguinte consistiu na análise das categorias, examinando-se em que medida cada uma das categorias previamente destacadas se manifestaria, ou não, no caso da ONG estudada. Procurou-se, nessa etapa, detalhar dados e depoimentos em suporte à interpretação de cada categoria. Concluiu-se que, de fato, há elementos de confluência entre as duas perspectivas teóricas adotadas, mas que as especificidades das ONGs sugerem a necessidade de adaptação de tais perspectivas ao contexto específico em que atuam essas organizações. O estudo encontra-se limitado pelo fato de analisar um único caso, ainda que em profundidade, sugerindo-se a realização de futuras pesquisas que possam contribuir para o objetivo de conhecer melhor de que forma ocorre o processo de internacionalização dessas organizações. / [en] The purpose of this thesis is to investigate to what extent two important theoretical perspectives - the Uppsala internationalization model and the Born-globals perspective - explain aspects of the internationalization process of an international non-governmental organization (NGO) from the process perspective. To achieve this goal, this thesis made use of a longitudinal single case study method and seeks to fill a theoretical gap, since few studies have been found on the subject. In the literature review section, an analysis of the theoretical perspectives is adopted in order to define the main categories to be applied to the case. Also a review of the concepts associated to NGOs in general and specific studies on internationalization of NGOs are presented. The case studied selected is the NGO called Doctors Without Borders (Médecin Sans Frontières). The selection of this case was made due to the large availability of secondary data, such as reports, books, theses, published interviews, documents, etc. , since it is a large and respected organization. The use of published testimonials was very useful, since it allowed to collect data in greater depth and quality than would be possible using local interviews. The analysis proceeds as following: first, a detailed description of the case history was made in order to provide an overview of the evolution of the NGO over time. Second, the selected categories were analized in order to examine the extent each of it would or would not manifest itself in the case of the NGO studied. At this stage, we sought to detail data and statements to support the interpretation of each category. Overall, there are elements of confluence between the two theoretical perspectives adopted. Nevertheless, as NGOs being a very specific organization, further studies are suggest in order to adapt those perspectives to this specific context in which these kind of organizations operate. The study is limited by the fact that only a single case has been analyse, although in depth, suggesting the continuance of debate in future studies that can contribute to the theorethical development of the internationalization process of these type of organization.