• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.11
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• pp.357-366
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of internationalization on the business performance of firms in Laos as a transition economy. Using a panel dataset collected by the World Bank for 285 firms during the period 2009, 2012, and 2016 in the service and manufacturing industries, the two-steps Heckman regression results found robust evidence for the fact that the S-curve tie exists between the degree of internationalization and business performance of firms in Laos while controlling other factors. Specifically, if firms have a degree of internationalization lower than 0.4374, they will suffer losses due to the high cost of preparing for phase 1 which is market penetration. Then, when the degree of internationalization continues to increase from 0.4374 to 0.9131, firms will gain benefits from internationalization (phase 2), however, these benefits will deteriorate when the degree of internationalization is greater than 0.9131 (phase 3), meaning that firms will no longer be able to exploit economies of scale or advantages in target markets, or product cycles will fall into a state of decline. Interestingly, we also found that firms with a high concentration level of ownership and internationalization activities may achieve better performance than those with a low concentration of ownership and one which carried out internationalization activities.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.135-156
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• 2020

Purpose - This study investigates whether the internationalization process of traditional industry firms can be categorized as born global, early internationalization, or gradual internationalization, and examines what factors promote internationalization in traditional industries using a case study of two firms, one each in China and Korea. Design/methodology - This study elects to use case study methodology to determine the "how" and "why" of internationalization process of traditional industry firms. Taking into consideration that factors that impact the internationalization process of firms are diverse and unclear in terms of causality, this study utilizes exploratory case study methodology. This research performs a comparative two-case study of two firms in traditional industries, one each in China and Korea, to examine similarities and differences of study subjects in order to improve the validity and suitability of research results. Findings - The findings of this research are as follows: First, traditional industries are more likely go through early and rapid internationalization rather than being born global; born globals are far more likely to appear in high tech industries. Second, the internationalization process of companies that go through early and rapid internationalization differs from what is indicated by traditional internationalization theories, and are not limited by factors like psychological distance and lack of experiential knowledge. Third, international entrepreneurship, international market orientation, and imitation and learning are important internal driving factors for early and rapid internationalization. Fourth, conditions within the domestic market, policy support from the government, and pilot effect from industry leaders are external driving factors for early and rapid internationalization. Originality/value - This study shows that the internationalization process of traditional industry firms is more likely to be early and rapid internationalization rather than being born global and suggests answers to why this may be the case. In addition, through an examination of case studies, it reveals that the internationalization process of traditional industry firms that undergo early and rapid internationalization is different from traditional internationalization theory, in that they are not limited by the lack of psychological proximity and empirical knowledge, and are driven by international entrepreneurship, international market orientation, imitation and learning, competitive pressure within the domestic market, government's policy support, and the pilot effect of industry leaders. Therefore, this study contributes to literature by expanding the scope of application of born global theory to traditional industries, making born global theory more generalizable and identifying driving factors to internationalization of traditional industry firms.

• East Asian Journal of Business Economics (EAJBE)
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.49-57
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• 2018

Purpose - to examine the theories related to the internationalization of multinational corporations as well as theories related to internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises. Research design, data, and methodology - traditional theories, e.g. eclectic paradigm and behavioral theory and product life cycle etc. were examined and recent advances theories - network theory, entrepreneurship - were also examined to outline the theory of internationalization of firm. Results - the main schools of international researches are divided into two; one is the economics school, the other is the behavioral school. The economics school has considered internationalization as a pattern of investment in foreign markets explained by rational economic analysis of internalization, ownership, and location advantages. Apart from the economics approach, a theory relevant to smaller firms highlights slow and incremental overseas market commitment. Recent research on the network perspective is fast emerging and it can be applied and well explained on the internationalization of smaller firms, focusing on firm behavior in the context of a network of interorganizational and inter-personal relationships Conclusions - Small medium-sized enterprises have been recently rising, however, there has still been little consolidation of literature in internationalization and most of the relevant theories have been still focusing on explaining the globalization of multinational corporations. Little studied on the internationalization in the context of smaller firms which are distinctly differentiated from larger firms including international new ventures, which the motivation to study strongly calls for more information and studied on small medium-sized enterprises.

• International Area Studies Review
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.23-42
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• 2013

This paper examines the effects of corporate governance on internationalization in Korean firms. Using the data from 454 Korean manufacturing firms listed in the Korean Stock ExchanFge (KSE) from 1999-2006, we analyzed the role of corporate governance on internationalization in Korean firms, including Chaebols (Korean business groups) and family firms. In addition, we investigated the moderating effect of concentration of ownership on internationalization. The results of the analysis showed a positive association between corporate governance in Chaebols and family firms and internationalization. Interestingly, the influence of ownership concentration overpowered the ambivalent behaviors of Chaebols, leading to less internationalization. We conclude that corporate governance in Chaebols and family firms is important to internationalization strategy.

• East Asian Economic Review
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.339-366
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• 2014

This paper examines the impact of internationalization on the product, process and organizational innovations of Korean service firms. Despite the increasing importance of the service sector and the discrepancies in the natures of the manufacturing and service industries, the internationalization-innovation link in the context of service firms has rarely been examined empirically on a large sample. Based on the results of the logistic regressions using the 2006 Korean Innovation Survey data, we found that Korean service firms' international expansion is significantly and positively associated with their product and organizational innovations. In addition, the magnitude of the estimates in our models revealed that internationalization has a greater impact on product innovation than on process or organizational innovation.

• International Area Studies Review
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.209-234
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• 2016

This study examines the effects of exporter agglomeration on purely local firms' decision to undertake internationalization and the resultant performance enhancement from internationalization using propensity score matching and difference-in-differences approach. We find that the likelihood of starting to export is higher when purely local firms are located in a region with a higher level of exporter agglomeration, as positive externalities allow them to overcome insufficient internal resources and reduce the large initial foreign market entry costs. We also find that newly exporting firms are more likely to experience greater performance enhancement from exporting when they are locate in a region with a lower level of exporter agglomeration.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.97-117
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• 2022

Amid the growing importance and growth potential of venture firms worldwide, this study aimed to figure out the effect of new product development capabilities (NPDC) on the internationalization of Korean venture firms and the moderating impact of founders' human capital. NPDC is a core competency that can cope with the rapidly changing market environment and is required when entering multinational markets. Therefore, we subdivided founders' human capital into professional experience, startup experience, education level, and marketing capacity and examined each moderating effect on a venture firm's internationalization. As a result of empirical analysis of 1,362 Korean venture firms using the Tobit model, this study found that venture firms with excellent NPDC tend to achieve a higher level of internationalization. In addition, among the founder's human capitals, professional experience, education level, and marketing competency moderated the positive relationship between NPDC and internationalization. In contrast, the founder's startup experience was insignificant. The results of this empirical analysis explain the factors that trigger the internationalization performance of venture firms from the perspective of dynamic capabilities and suggest that the founder's human capital played an essential role in the internationalization.

• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.113-134
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• 2018

This study examines the roles of intangible and tangible resources of Korean business groups on internationalization by their member firms. Specifically, we argue that not all affiliates receive same benefit from group-level resource sharing. Instead, the effect of group-level knowledge sharing on affiliates' internationalization depends on individual affiliates' relative financial positions within a business group. Using samples of business groups in Korea, chaebols, hereafter chaebols, we find that foreign market knowledge at the group level has a positive impact on the internationalization of affiliated firms while the product knowledge has no impact. Furthermore, we also find evidences that an affiliate with high level of financial capacity receives internal pressures to stay in domestic market to secure internal capital market and support other sister affiliates' international activities.

• East Asian Journal of Business Economics (EAJBE)
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.13-24
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• 2018

Purpose - This study investigates the moderation effect of internal factor, a firms size, on the external knowledge sourcing strategy and its effectiveness in generating radical innovation. We incorporate concepts of breadth and depth as two measures to gauge the degree of openness in firms external search Research design and methodology - The dependent variable in the regression model is the percentage of innovative sales and therefore, Tobit regression is employed for estimating significant factors affecting on the ratio of first-to-market by breadth and depth in external knowledge, internationalization, and size. Results - The results show that the external knowledge, in terms of both breadth and depth, has a positive relationship with radical innovation. However internationalization as external knowledge resources is not statistically accepted. Firm size has moderating effect on innovation negatively only in case of using external knowledge resources to a high degree. Conclusions - Firms obtain external information mostly from customers, competitors, and suppliers etc. empirical knowledge in terms of scope and intensity is an important contributor to innovation. And intensity use of external knowledge and information resources can work in favor of smaller firms rather than larger ones. Internationalization seems to have little effect on innovation but it requires further researches with clear criteria and more data.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.25-41
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• 2022

While there exists voluminous literature on the internationalization of the firms, it has focused on mature firms or born-global firms. There is still a lack of research on firm that is in the growth stage between venture and mature firm. To fill this gap, this paper focuses on the newly public firm which is enter the stock market through initial public offerings (IPO). Specifically, I examine the relationship between the early listing and internationalization. In the venture firm aspect, the decision of the IPO necessary to allow to change organization structure, ownership and take a risk from environmental movements. This paper suggests early listing is a behavior of entrepreneur orientation. According to empirical results, there is a positive relationship between early listing and internationalization. It implies that early listing may help international expansion by sourcing finance, reputations from market. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the importance of financial slack resources to international expansion. I conclude that ventures need not only early entering in stock market but also securing sufficient financial slack resources to achieve sustainable growth in the international market.