Purpose – Previously, modularity has mainly been studied in a production context. This paper highlights the opportunities and challenges of a modular strategy in an internationalisation context. It identifies which module components become active when entering new markets and suggests a model for how a modular internationalisation architecture can be designed. Design/methodology/approach – Results from a single case study of a multinational corporation in the vehicle industry, where managers of different departments involved in the internationalisation process support the possibility to create a modular internationalisation architecture. Findings – The findings suggest that the most important opportunities arising from modularity when entering new markets are the clear structure and shorter time to market. The main challenges to overcome are the risk of loss of flexibility and the issues of designing a modular architecture. Based on the key components in the case firm, one initial project-based departmentalised matrix structure is designed which can also help overcome the issues of choosing between standardisation and adaptation. Practical implications – The modular internationalisation architecture may help managers in multinational corporations who are already working with modularity in production to also organise the internal structure of their internationalisation process. Originality/value – This study includes a new model for multinational corporations entering new markets – the modular internationalisation architecture – which makes it possible to structure processes depending on internationalisation factors. The model should be seen as an initial suggestion of how a modular internationalisation architecture can be designed, but it may need to be further developed and tested. Keywords – International business, Internationalisation strategy, Organisational structure, Modularity, Modular processes, Modules, Components Paper type – Master’s thesis

The diploma thesis „Proposals for company improvement on the Slovak market“ is focused on company ABC, producing special feed intended for animals. Theoretical part deals with the importace of international trade, posibility for businesses how to enter into foreign markets as well as theory analysis of internal and external business environment. Second part of the thesis analyses these environment from the practical point of view. Third part consists of suggestions how to improve ABC company´s business model on the Slovak market.

This thesis investigates the factors influencing the internationalization of firms through a multi-layered analysis grounded in international business. It addresses the following questions. First, in what ways does the institutional environment facilitate or hinder the growth of start-ups? And in what ways does institutional diversity across countries affect internationalizing firms? Second, in light of the variety of internationalization patterns, what modifications are necessary to the theories of internationalization? Third, how do rapidly internationalizing firms explore and exploit capabilities? And in what ways does capability development differ between firms that realize early, rapid internationalization and those firms that do not? Answering the first set of questions involves recasting the comparative institutional analysis of national political economies. This thesis demonstrates that: 1) when national institutions are in transition, business entrepreneurs can bring about institutional change, or else act to avoid or adapt specific institutions for their own use; and 2) international institutional diversity seems to be less influential in determining the expansion pattern of rapidly internationalizing firms. Next, to address the second question, this thesis examines the factors influencing the speed of internationalization. The proposed models point to a larger role of entrepreneurs’ perception and the relevance of the resources factor, and better accommodate a wider variety of internationalization paths. In order to answer the third set of questions, this thesis investigates the early stage development of firm-level capabilities among internationalizing firms. The result points to: 1) the faster transformation of individual capabilities to firm-level routines; 2) a wider variety of routines for exploring external capabilities; and 3) a higher ability to exploit ordinary routines, among more rapidly internationalizing firms. Finally, this thesis discusses how each of the three levels of analysis relates to the other levels. The overall analysis demonstrates the value of multi-layered approach in investigating the firm’s internationalization.

Background:             Internationalisation for businesses has been researched for decades and has been well understood. However, new types of organisations have emerged in the digital age, disrupting the organisational landscape. One of these disruptive organisations is born digitals (BD), which have become more prominent in recent years. Some of the biggest companies today are BDs, including Google and Spotify. However, how they internationalise and their processes look is not well understood. Because of this, it is of interest to understand how these organisations internationalise as they have been such a disruptive force in the international market.  Purpose:                       The purpose of the study is to investigate the internationalisation process of a BD firm, to recognise what internal and external factors influence their decision-making and whether specific strategies are being used. It aims to utilise prior internationalisation theories to provide a further understanding of these organisations and the way they work. The goal of the study is also to provide a framework that BDs can use to internationalise successfully.  Method:                         This study implemented a qualitative research design with an inductive approach and a single case study for the research design. The case company works with search engine optimisation (SEO) within the online service providers (OSP) industry. It included interviews with six employees from the company, with a total of nine interviews. The interviews were conducted in a semi-structured manner to create flexibility in the interview design.   Conclusion:                  The key points of the study results were the following: (i) several internal and external factors and how they influenced BDs' internationalisation were identified, and which factors had a more significant impact on their processes. (ii) It was identified that they do not plan for specific internationalisation strategies, however, it was seen that they do develop strategies, although done unconsciously. (iii) This resulted in the development of a new framework that aims to provide insights into the process BDs undergo when internationalising.