Internationalization through exaptation: The role of domestic geographical dispersion in the internationalization process

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Santangelo, Grazia D.; Stucchi, Tamara
• 署名单位: University of Catania
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STUDIES
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2506
• DOI: 10.1057/s41267-018-0151-y
• 发表日期: 2018
• 页码: 753-760
• 关键词: internationalization process; EXAPTATION; Organizational learning; Economic geography; evolutionary theory

摘要

We introduce the notion of exaptation to internationalization theory, a process in which a capability is re-used for a purpose and in a context different than its historical purpose and context. Specifically, we examine which domestic capabilities may be redeployed when organizations engage in cross-border M&As for the first time. We suggest that organizations exapt (re-use) coordination and control capabilities, initially developed to manage domestic geographical dispersion, to acquire and integrate external resources across borders. By analyzing 693 Indian business groups over a decade, we add to the recent effort to frame the internationalization process within evolutionary theory.