On the basis of empirical research, a model of the internationalization process of the firm is developed. The model focuses on the gradual acquisition, integration and use of knowledge about foreign markets and operations, and on the incrementally increasing commitments to foreign markets. In particular, attention is concentrated on the increasing involvement in the individual foreign country.

/pdf/the-internationalization-process-of-the-firm-a-model-of-4aibougvsw.pdf

The Internationalization Process of the Firm - A Model of Knowledge Development and Increasing Foreign Market Commitments

The Uppsala internationalization process model is revisited in the light of changes in business practices and theoretical advances that have been made since 1977. Now the business environment is viewed as a web of relationships, a network, rather than as a neoclassical market with many independent suppliers and customers. Outsidership, in relation to the relevant network, more than psychic distance, is the root of uncertainty. The change mechanisms in the revised model are essentially the same as those in the original version, although we add trust-building and knowledge creation, the latter to recognize the fact that new knowledge is developed in relationships.

/pdf/the-uppsala-internationalization-process-model-revisited-2ck5k4nfor.pdf

The Uppsala Internationalization Process Model Revisited: From Liability of Foreignness to Liability of Outsidership

The contemporary relevance of the so‐called Uppsala Internationalisation Model is discussed. This is a framework advanced by a number of Swedish colleagues describing the typical process of “going international”. Johanson and Vahlne respond to the criticisms of the model they proposed in the 1970s and relate it to the Eclectic Paradigm Model and the Networking literature. The concepts of the advantage package and the advantage cycle in the internationalisation context are also introduced.

The Mechanism of Internationalisation

Cultural distance is a widely used construct in international business, where it has been applied to foreign investment expansion, entry mode choice, and the performance of foreign invested affiliates, among others. The present paper presents a critical review of the cultural distance construct, outlining its hidden assumptions and challenging its theoretical and methodological properties. A comprehensive framework for the treatment of the construct is developed and concrete steps aimed at enhancing rigor are delineated.

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1057%2Fpalgrave.jibs.8490982.pdf

Cultural distance revisited: Towards a more rigorous conceptualization and measurement of cultural differences

The Internationalization of Born Globals: An Evolutionary Process?

Many firms start international operations when they are still comparatively small and gradually develop their operations abroad. This chapter analyses the internationalization of four Swedish firms — Sandvik, Atlas Copco, Facit and Volvo. All of them sell more than two-thirds of their turnover abroad and have production facilities in more than one foreign country. Of the four firms Sandvik is the oldest and also the one which first started its internationalization course. The first contacts with representatives were established in the 1860s. Sandvik's early start with representatives in foreign countries was an innovation at that time. Until then the Swedish iron and steel exporting had mainly been undertaken by trading firms. In 1905 Atlas produced the first air compressor. In 1917 the company was merged with another firm, producing diesel engines. Atlas Copco is five years younger than Sandvik but started the internationalization process considerably later.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1467-6486.1975.tb00514.x

Finn Wiedersheim-Paul

Papers

The internationalization of the firm — four swedish cases