Upward convergence: digital regulations and digital firms' internationalization

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Liu, Chang; Zhang, Pengxiang; Wang, Stephanie Lu
• 署名单位: Chinese University of Hong Kong; Peking University; Indiana University System; Indiana University Bloomington; IU Kelley School of Business
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STUDIES
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2506
• DOI: 10.1057/s41267-026-00864-9
• 发表日期: 2026
• 关键词: exploration; performance; COMPETITION; adaptation; strategies; MARKETS; search; bottom; MODEL; entry

摘要

Digital regulations are often portrayed as barriers to digital firms' internationalization because they hinder digital firms' market penetration and fragment their global operations. We argue, however, that regulations may play a different role for digital firms that internationalize through virtual presence. Leveraging the European Union's (EU's) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as context, we examine how the GDPR affects digital products' penetration in the EU and whether it drives operational fragmentation between EU and non-EU markets. We theorize that the GDPR does not uniformly reduce penetration opportunities; instead, it benefits low data-dependent products and explorative products that differ substantially from firms' prior offerings. Moreover, building on digital firms' reliance on network effects, we propose that digital firms may treat the EU as a global benchmark and release EU-penetrated products to non-EU markets, converging upward rather than separating their international operations, thus strengthening the positive association between EU penetration and subsequent non-EU entry. We found support for our hypotheses by analyzing international user-acquisition activities of the top 500 mobile game developers. Our findings contribute to international business research by showing that digital regulations can create new penetration opportunities and act as institutional catalysts that standardize digital firms' cross-border expansion. Les r & eacute;glementations num & eacute;riques sont souvent per & ccedil;ues comme des obstacles & agrave; l'internationalisation des entreprises num & eacute;riques, car elles entravent leur p & eacute;n & eacute;tration des march & eacute;s et fragmentent leurs op & eacute;rations & agrave; l'& eacute;chelle mondiale. Nous argumentons cependant que les r & eacute;glementations peuvent jouer un r & ocirc;le diff & eacute;rent pour les entreprises num & eacute;riques qui s'internationalisent via une pr & eacute;sence virtuelle. Nous appuyant sur le R & egrave;glement G & eacute;n & eacute;ral sur la Protection des Donn & eacute;es (RGPD) de l'Union Europ & eacute;enne (UE) comme contexte, nous examinons comment le RGPD influence la p & eacute;n & eacute;tration des produits num & eacute;riques dans l'UE, et s'il provoque une fragmentation op & eacute;rationnelle entre les march & eacute;s de l'UE et ceux hors UE. Nous th & eacute;orisons que le RGPD ne r & eacute;duit pas uniform & eacute;ment les opportunit & eacute;s de p & eacute;n & eacute;tration ; au contraire, il favorise les produits peu tributaires des donn & eacute;es ainsi que les produits exploratoires qui diff & egrave;rent substantiellement des offres ant & eacute;rieures des entreprises. De plus, compte tenu de la d & eacute;pendance des entreprises num & eacute;riques vis-& agrave;-vis des effets de r & eacute;seau, nous & eacute;mettons l'hypoth & egrave;se que celles-ci pourraient consid & eacute;rer l'UE comme une r & eacute;f & eacute;rence mondiale et commercialiser sur les march & eacute;s hors UE des produits d & eacute;j & agrave; implant & eacute;s dans l'Union, ce qui entra & icirc;nerait une convergence vers le haut plut & ocirc;t qu'une s & eacute;paration de leurs activit & eacute;s internationales, renfor & ccedil;ant ainsi le lien positif entre la p & eacute;n & eacute;tration du march & eacute; europ & eacute;en et l'entr & eacute;e ult & eacute;rieure sur les march & eacute;s hors UE. Nos hypoth & egrave;ses sont confirm & eacute;es par les r & eacute;sultats d'une analyse des activit & eacute;s d'acquisition d'utilisateurs & agrave; l'international des 500 principaux d & eacute;veloppeurs de jeux mobiles. Nos r & eacute;sultats contribuent & agrave; la recherche en affaires internationales en montrant que les r & eacute;glementations num & eacute;riques peuvent cr & eacute;er de nouvelles opportunit & eacute;s de p & eacute;n & eacute;tration et agir d'ailleurs comme des catalyseurs institutionnels qui standardisent l'expansion transfrontali & egrave;re des entreprises num & eacute;riques. Las regulaciones digitales a menudo se presentan como barreras para la internacionalizaci & oacute;n de las empresas digitales, ya que dificultan su penetraci & oacute;n de mercado y fragmentan sus operaciones globales. Sin embargo, argumentamos que las regulaciones pueden desempe & ntilde;ar un papel diferente para las empresas digitales que se internacionalizan a trav & eacute;s de una presencia virtual. Utilizando el Reglamento General de Protecci & oacute;n de Datos (GDPR, por sus siglas en ingl & eacute;s) de la Uni & oacute;n Europea (UE) como contexto, examinamos c & oacute;mo el GDPR afecta la penetraci & oacute;n de productos digitales en la UE y si impulsa la fragmentaci & oacute;n operativa entre los mercados de la UE y los mercados fuera de la UE. Teorizamos que el GDPR no reduce de manera uniforme las oportunidades de penetraci & oacute;n; en cambio, beneficia a los productos de baja dependencia de datos y a los productos exploratorios que difieren sustancialmente de las ofertas previas de las empresas. Adem & aacute;s, bas & aacute;ndonos en la dependencia de las empresas digitales en los efectos de red, proponemos que las empresas digitales pueden tratar a la UE como un punto de referencia global y lanzar productos que ya han penetrado en la UE hacia mercados fuera de la UE, convergiendo al alza en lugar de fragmentar sus operaciones internacionales, fortaleciendo as & iacute; la asociaci & oacute;n positiva entre la penetraci & oacute;n en la UE y la posterior entrada en mercados fuera de la UE. Encontramos respaldo para nuestras hip & oacute;tesis al analizar las actividades de adquisici & oacute;n internacional de usuarios de los 500 principales desarrolladores de juegos m & oacute;viles. Nuestros hallazgos contribuyen a la investigaci & oacute;n en negocios internacionales al demostrar que las regulaciones digitales pueden crear nuevas oportunidades de penetraci & oacute;n y actuar como catalizadores institucionales que estandarizan la expansi & oacute;n transfronteriza de las empresas digitales. Regulamenta & ccedil;& otilde;es digitais s & atilde;o frequentemente retratadas como barreiras & agrave; internacionaliza & ccedil;& atilde;o de empresas digitais, pois dificultam a penetra & ccedil;& atilde;o de mercado dessas empresas e fragmentam suas opera & ccedil;& otilde;es globais. No entanto, argumentamos que regulamenta & ccedil;& otilde;es podem desempenhar um papel distinto para empresas digitais que se internacionalizam por meio de presen & ccedil;a virtual. Utilizando o Regulamento Geral de Prote & ccedil;& atilde;o de Dados (GDPR) da Uni & atilde;o Europeia (EU) como contexto, examinamos como o GDPR afeta a penetra & ccedil;& atilde;o de produtos digitais na EU e se ele provoca fragmenta & ccedil;& atilde;o operacional entre mercados da EU e de fora da EU. Teorizamos que o GDPR n & atilde;o reduz uniformemente oportunidades de penetra & ccedil;& atilde;o; em vez disso, beneficia produtos com baixa depend & ecirc;ncia de dados e produtos explorat & oacute;rios que diferem substancialmente das ofertas anteriores das empresas. Al & eacute;m disso, com base na depend & ecirc;ncia de empresas digitais em efeitos de rede, propomos que empresas digitais podem usar a EU como um modelo global e lan & ccedil;ar produtos introduzidos na EU em mercados fora da EU, convergindo em vez de separar suas opera & ccedil;& otilde;es internacionais, fortalecendo assim a associa & ccedil;& atilde;o positiva entre a penetra & ccedil;& atilde;o na EU e a entrada subsequente em mercados fora da EU. Encontramos suporte para nossas hip & oacute;teses ao analisar atividades internacionais de aquisi & ccedil;& atilde;o de usu & aacute;rios dos 500 principais desenvolvedores de jogos para dispositivos m & oacute;veis. Nossas descobertas contribuem para a pesquisa em neg & oacute;cios internacionais ao mostrar que as regulamenta & ccedil;& otilde;es digitais podem criar novas oportunidades de penetra & ccedil;& atilde;o e atuar como catalisadores institucionais que padronizam a expans & atilde;o transfronteiri & ccedil;a de empresas digitais. 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