Unpacking the age at initial internationalization-performance relationship: A meta-analytic investigation

Abstract

Abstract The relationship between a firm’s age when it initiates internationalization and performance has spurred significant theoretical development but also yielded mixed empirical results. Applying the capabilities perspective of age at initial international entry to these mixed empirical results, we use meta-analytic methods leveraging results from 121 studies and find that an earlier age at entry is associated with improved firm performance. Yet, this effect is strongest when firms begin internationalizing at intermediate stages of their development and is mediated by the extent to which firms increase international sales (international intensity). We extend prior research by explaining how and how much age at entry matters as well as when it matters most, unpacking the pathways and timing by which age at entry matters, and we offer avenues to continue advancing work on the capabilities perspective of age at initial international entry.