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Knowledge creation dynamics within the international new venture

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the dynamic process of knowledge creation of the international new venture (INV) through the interaction with network partners. The process of how INVs make use of external sources for the acquisition of international market knowledge is not well-understood. Design/methodology/approach – To uncover the dynamics of the knowledge creation process, the authors applied event-driven process research by following the internationalization process of four INVs in real time. More specifically, they adopted qualitative diary research combined with periodic follow-up interviews as the main data collection method. A visual mapping strategy was used for the analysis of the process data. Findings – The analysis shows that different pathways of knowledge acquisition through congenital learning, searching, vicarious learning and grafting interact with each other. Grafting and experiential learning alongside the partner lead to the acquisition of internationalization knowledge in parti...

The Rise and Fall of an International New Venture: The Case of an Online Medical Tourism Platform

Thomas moves to Colombia. He teams up with Daniel to create an Internet platform on which hospitals, clinics, and doctors from Colombia can offer their services to patients from the US. The promotion of medical tourism is a priority for the local government. Thomas decides to outsource the design and programming of Flyclinic’s Internet platform. This proves to be challenging. The initial launch of the website is delayed by eight months, and making hospitals and clinics sign the contract for use of the platform proves to be difficult. This causes Thomas to rethink the business model. Thomas questions whether the health-care providers in Colombia are interested in medical tourism at all. Flyclinic eventually enters into what Thomas calls a “starvation mode.”

Value Creation During Different Development Stages: What Changes When an Entrepreneurial Firm Transforms into a Multinational Corporation?

In this chapter, we report on transformations of an entrepreneurial firm during its internationalisation. We propose the use of a prediction/control framework to explain how an entrepreneurial firm gradually changes into a multinational corporation. During the processes of expansion the firm deploys different behaviours that indicate shifting mindsets from approaches that can be characterised as entrepreneurial to behaviours considered as managerial. Following a firm’s development from inception to its end as independent entit,y we discuss how the cross-roads between Entrepreneurship and International Business disciplines might create synergies beyond their own confines by establishing International Entrepreneurship as a meaningful field of study.