Research in the international management literature has traditionally studied internationalization processes from an exploitation perspective. This exploitation-focused argument demonstrates an incremental process of international expansion with the internationalization of mature multinational corporations (MNCs). However, the situation is different for international new ventures, which may not have sufficient resources and economies of scale in their domestic countries before starting operations in other countries. After initial internationalization at a young age, international new ventures might choose to go to similar foreign markets to leverage and exploit existing knowledge for growth or they might continue experimenting with less related foreign markets. In this study, I propose that international new ventures benefit from using an ambidextrous strategy for long-term performance employing both exploitation and exploration. I use both traditional international management literature and international entrepreneur studies to develop the concept of international ambidexterity. I argue that new ventures are able to develop such a capability, defined as the capability to successfully balance international exploitation and exploration activities. This capability is founded on new ventures' initial activities but needs to be further developed and refined through international operations with both incremental and radical approaches. I also propose that the relationship between international ambidexterity and new venture growth is positively moderated by these firms' subsequent activities to explore technological knowledge. In order to theoretically develop and empirically test the concept of the international ambidexterity, I introduce arguments that support certain antecedents to developing this capability. Results from my analyses show that the benefits associated with international exploration through early internationalization are realized when a firm continues further commitment to exploitation capabilities so they can accomplish ambidexterity learning from narrower scope of international expansion. Additionally, domestic alliances and foreign alliances show significant relationships with new venture's international exploration. Therefore, inter-organizational learning can link to the social capital and network perspectives in international entrepreneurship research; mimetic learning can help investigating the social aspects of international entrepreneurship studies. Further, new ventures should be encouraged to build inter-organizational networks, domestically and internationally to pursue their growth. / Ph. D.

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Submitted by Philip Pilwarsch (philip.pilwarsch@gmail.com) on 2017-05-06T11:03:14Z No. of bitstreams: 1 PilwarschPhilip_Dissertation.docx: 2038442 bytes, checksum: 5f6dc18f2f0d6ad8f3aee9f8725b5816 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Leiliane Silva (leiliane.silva@fgv.br) on 2017-05-25T12:39:38Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 PilwarschPhilip_Dissertation.docx: 2038442 bytes, checksum: 5f6dc18f2f0d6ad8f3aee9f8725b5816 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-30T18:21:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 PilwarschPhilip_Dissertation.docx: 2038442 bytes, checksum: 5f6dc18f2f0d6ad8f3aee9f8725b5816 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-17 / This paper tries to understand the factors that influence Brazilian software firms to pursue an accelerated internationalization strategy. A literature review gives an overview of existing theories trying to explain the born global phenomenon. Based on these theories a framework was developed, which lists the factors that have an impact on early internationalization. The factors are grouped in three different categories: internal, external, and entrepreneur factors. During interviews with three Brazilian software international ventures the relevant factors were identified. The results show that the flexibility and client-followership are important internal factors. Niche markets and foreign competition are influencing the internationalization from the external side. International experience and informal networks are important entrepreneur factors. Moreover, a difference between business-to-business and business-to-consumer firms could be found. / O presente trabalho tenta entender os fatores que influenciam empresas brasileiras de software a seguir uma estratégia de internacionalização acelerada. O estudo da literatura a respeito do tema expõe uma visão geral das teorias existentes que buscam explicar o surgimento deste fenômeno born global. Com base nessas teorias desenvolveu-se uma estrutura contendo uma relação de fatores que influenciam a internacionalização precoce. Os fatores foram classificados em três categorias: internos, externos e fatores empreendedores. Ao longo de entrevistas com três start-ups de software brasileiras que se internacionalizaram foram identificados esses fatores relevantes. Nichos de mercado e competição estrangeira estão influenciando a internacionalização do lado externo. Experiência internacional e redes de contatos informais consistem em fatores empreendedores importantes. Ademais, foi possível detectar uma diferença entre empresas que atuam no segmento business-to-business e business-to-consumer.

New venture internationalization differs from that of large established firms and is an important research inquiry for international entrepreneurship. In the past 30 years, studies on new venture internationalization have proliferated but with fragmented nature. The first study reviews extant studies regarding conceptual and methodological developments of international new ventures (INVs) through content analysis of 74 influential works. Particularly, this study focuses on the determinants and performance of INVs at the entrepreneur, firm, and environment levels. We then identify significant gaps within this stream of research and suggest future research directions. The second study explores the effect of founding team ethnic composition on a new venture's internationalization strategic choice and then examines the consequent performance implications of INV strategy. A new venture with an ethnically diversified founding team could leverage international experience and network of each of its founders, thereby influencing its recognition of opportunities and access to resources to pursue internationalization strategy. Analyzing longitudinal data of 4,928 new ventures in Kauffman Firm Survey, our empirical results suggest that more immigrant entrepreneurs in a new venture's founding team are more likely to pursue INV strategy while more US citizen entrepreneurs in a founding team will pursue domestic new venture (DNV) strategy. Furthermore, an INV has higher revenues than a DNV but there is no difference in profits between them. The findings suggest that early internationalization is critical to immigrant-started new ventures through revenue growth. The third study explores the survival of ethnic new ventures, particularly testing the roles of INV and ethnic entrepreneurs' immigration status. New ventures are more likely to fail in early years of formation as they face liability of newness and smallness. We found that ethnic new ventures overall have a lower likelihood of survival compared with non-ethnic new ventures. But, ethnic new ventures could increase survival through INV strategy and immigration status. After ethnic entrepreneurs' naturalization, ethnic new ventures could achieve legitimacy, seeking further social capital in host country. Meanwhile, INV strategy could compensate for ethnic new venture's liability of ethnicity in host country. By incorporating diaspora and ethnic entrepreneurship literature, my dissertation focuses on the role of immigrants on early internationalization strategy and the effect of such strategy on performance and survival of their started new ventures, further advancing the understanding of international entrepreneurship. / Business Administration/International Business Administration

Despite significant research output in recent decades on international new ventures (INVs),little attention has been paid to understanding the processes and conditions under whichthe entrepreneur identifies and exploits an opportunity and subsequently creates valuewithin the firm. As a result, the dynamics involved in the role of the entrepreneur during theestablishment and internationalization of INVs remain in a black box. In order to understandthe context, interaction among players and other dynamics involved before, during, and afterthe establishment of the INV’s creation and development, a different approach is needed. Theaim of this dissertation is to describe and understand the role of entrepreneurs in the processof establishment and internationalization of international new ventures. Three longitudinal case studies were conducted between 1999 and 2008 with a total of 108interviews using snowball sampling. In addition, comprehensive secondary data have beencollected to enrich the empirical cases with thick descriptions, and to enhance content validityas well as the reliability of the research. This study offers a more nuanced picture of how entrepreneurs’ characteristics influencethe international development of their firms. For example, it appears that it was neitherthe previous foreign experience, the education, nor the previously developed internationalnetwork (as suggested by previous literature) that can be credited for the rapid and vastinternationalization of the case firms. Instead, it is suggested that an entrepreneur’schildhood and prior life story directly influences their behaviour in the INV. We proposethat different types of entrepreneurs are important factors to understanding firms’ differentinternationalization patterns. Depending on the backgrounds of the entrepreneurs, theydeveloped preferences, skills, and especially desires that would come to affect the totalbehaviour of their future organizations. This study also develops the notion of psychicdistance into three separate spaces - the physical, the mental and the social space. Forexample, the context and experience during childhood creates the foundations for theentrepreneurs’ mental and social space, which can separately, but also in relation toeach other, offer a more accurate and deeper understanding of the actions taken by theentrepreneurs in the INV. Furthermore, this study has shown that the role and characteristicsof the entrepreneur do change over time, which also determines the individual’s sensitivity toopportunities and the international behaviour of the company.

L’intérêt croissant des différentes économies pour augmenter et promouvoir la participation de ces entreprises dans le commerce international, rend nécessaire une renaissance de la recherche sur les processus d’internationalisation des firmes, en particulier des petites et moyennes entreprises. L’objectif est de fournir un aperçu théorique étendu et complet sur les processus d’internationalisation des PME Languedociennes-Roussillonnaises et Andalouses, et donc par extension Françaises et Espagnoles; ainsi qu’une analyse comparative entre les deux régions. D’un point de vue empirique il s’agira de vérifier les facteurs déterminants des processus d’internationalisation que suivent ces PME, selon leurs structures organisationnelles et facteurs intangibles, mettre en évidence leurs concordances, leurs complémentarités et leurs divergences avec les différentes approches théoriques, aussi, déterminer si uniquement avec le développement et la gestion de certains facteurs présents dans les Born Globals (variables internes), les entreprises à bas intensité exportatrice peuvent d’augmenter leur performance internationale. L’intensité exportatrice associée à l’activité internationale prend tout son sens pour ces organisations. En effet, est devenue une option stratégique nécessaire pour combler la baisse de la demande dans les pays exportateurs. Par ailleurs, l’activité export constitue un enjeu de taille compte tenu de la concurrence ardue sur les marchés internationaux émanant de concurrents aux ressources incomparables et au comportement export très différent. / The growing interest of various economies in increasing and promoting the participation of their SMEs in international trade requires a renaissance of research into the internationalization processes of companies, especially those of small and medium enterprises. The objective is to provide an extensive and global theoretical overview of the processes of internationalization of SMEs in Languedoc-Roussillon and Andalusia and, by extension, of those of French and Spanish enterprises, together with a comparative analysis of the two regions. From an empirical standpoint, we will verify the factors that determine the internationalization process followed by these SMEs, according to their organizational structure and intangible considerations, in order to highlight their similarities to and differences from the various theoretical approaches. We will also determine whether firms with a low rate of exports may improve their international performance solely through the development and management of certain factors in the Born Globals (internal variables). The export rate associated with international activity makes sense for these organizations. In fact, it has become a necessary strategic option in order to offset the drop in demand in exporting countries. In addition, exporting is a major challenge given the stiff competition in international markets from competitors with huge resources and very different export behaviour.

80年代末期，全球經濟中出現一種特殊的國際企業，其在創業初期或在創業很短的時間內就開始涉入國際市場，而且國際化的程度相當高。文獻將這種類型的國際企業稱之為「國際新創事業」 (International New Venture)，同時證實這種新出現的國際企業類型非但不是特例，甚至越來越為普及。由於這類廠商通常規模較小，但卻能成功的在國際市場中與設立已久的大型廠商成功競爭，顯示現象背後必然存在相當值得探討的管理意涵。台灣廠商整體而言具備了兩大特色－高度的國際化及旺盛的創業精神－此二特色正符合學界對國際新創事業的概念性定義。另外由於「國際化」與「創業」領域結合的研究議題在學界正方興未艾，在學界對國際新創事業的認識仍存有落差的情況下，針對台灣國際新創事業之現象，具體描繪這些廠商的輪廓、瞭解這些廠商國際化的績效意涵、探討這些廠商的優勢策略、市場策略及後續成長等議題，在理論及實務上都具有相當重要之意義與價值。 本研究在國際新創事業日益普及，但文獻研究卻相對缺乏的研究背景下，嘗試探討影響國際新創事業績效之因素。本研究先以國際化理論之觀點，發展國際化程度、研發投資及廣告投資對國際新創事業績效影響之相關假說；同時另以創業觀點對台灣國際新創事業進行市場進入策略之分類，發展各種策略型態的報酬與風險關係之假說，並針對廠商脫離創業期之後的策略演化進行描繪。 假說驗證上，本研究以行政院主計處1986、1991及1996年針對製造業抽查的資料庫之資料，進行各項假說驗證。統計實證結果大致支持本研究各項假說，即台灣國際新創事業：(1)國際化程度與績效間，呈先增後減的∩型曲線關係；(2) 研發密集度高於低度國際化廠商的研發密集度；(3) 研發密集度與其績效間，呈先減後增的∪型曲線關係；(4) 採取不同市場進入策略，在績效上無顯著之差異；(5) 採取不同市場進入策略在事業風險上有顯著之差異，「技術創業」廠商的風險最高，「後進模仿創業」廠商的風險最低；然而，有關台灣國際新創事業的廣告密集度與其績效間呈負向線性關係之假說，並未能獲得支持。 除以量化統計方式進行分析外，為進一步瞭解國際新創事業國際化的動態歷程及市場策略的演化軌跡，本研究另以個案研究方式進行相關問題之探討。針對四家個案廠商深度訪談的研究結果，除大致呼應量化分析中的各項假說關係外，另亦呈現部分台灣國際新創事業異於西方文獻所預測及描繪的特點，包括海外投資地理範疇的高度集中、國際化與績效關係轉折點跟海外直接投資 (FDI) 有密切關係、利基能力的建構與台灣產業環境間的配適，以及國際化因素對創業廠商績效的調節作用等。 在理論貢獻上，本研究具體完成影響台灣國際新創事業績效的各項因素之探討，補充過去國際新創事業相關文獻中較為缺乏的規範性意涵。此外，透過橫跨1986-1996年的縱斷面分析，本研究具體呈現台灣國際新創事業在特徵屬性、市場進入方式及成長策略上的演化動態，並據以檢驗這些因素的演化型態與廠商績效間之關係，提供學界一個關於國際新創事業更加完整的形態 (posture) 與勢態 (strategic move) 之描繪。最後，本論文以台灣國際新創事業做為研究樣本，也有助於相關理論外部效度之拓展。在實務意涵上，由於本研究跳脫描述性的研究架構，實證結果證實各項策略因素對國際新創事業具有重要之意涵，因此研究結果可做為台灣國際新創事業在制訂國際化策略、優勢策略、市場進入策略及後續成長策略上之參考。