Interdependence Across a Firm's International Trajectories

Abstract

We examine the extent to which the internationalization of the firm as a whole can be explained by the interdependence across its distinct international trajectories. To do so, we built a qualitative, backward-looking longitudinal case of the internationalization of a Brazilian born-global IT firm by tracing its four international trajectories from the outset. Our results indicate that the internationalization of the firm is the result of four interdependent international trajectories that evolved in four distinct countries. It addition, we highlight the relationships of the firm with international customers as the driving force behind the interdependence across these international trajectories. Based on these findings, we propose that the internationalization process of the firm as a whole is not necessarily the outcome of the sum of independent international trajectories. Rather, there are interdependences across the firm's international trajectories that shape the overall internationalization of the firm.

Key words:
interdependence; international trajectory; internationalization