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The purpose of this article is to explore how mimetic pressures affect an internationalizing small- and medium-sized enterprise's adoption of e-commerce in the retail business, and by so doing generating insights into the different available responses to such pressures. A single, qualitative case study research design is employed to conduct an in-depth analysis of a retail SME. The data shows evidence of mimetic pressures that are perceived by the retailer. A trajectory of organizational responses to these pressures are identified by examining the changes that the investigated retailer made in its organization. By probing deeper into retail SMEs' decisions to use e-commerce as a vehicle for international growth, this article contributes to extending the understanding of how internationalizing retail SMEs can respond to mimetic pressures and adopt e-commerce strategies that provide a fit with their business models. One empirical case provides limited possibilities for generalization. Further studies that can enhance the understanding of retailers' various responses to mimetic pressures of e-commerce in different contexts are therefore suggested.

Structured Abstract

Purpose: To investigate, through a multidimensional approach, how an internationalizing e-tail SME cultivates certain capabilities that enhance its e-commerce and performance.

 Design/methodology: The paper is based on longitudinal, single-case data from an internationalizing electronic retail (e-tail) SME in Sweden.

 Findings: The findings imply that while capability development, in general, is important for e-tail SMEs, the development of digitalization and marketing capabilities have the most significant impact on overall performance for these kinds of retailers.

 Originality: By extending knowledge about how three types of capabilities (internationalization capability, digitalization capability, and marketing capability) can be developed in tandem, this study contributes to international marketing research on how e-tail SMEs can work with capability development to boost their performance.

This chapter aims to shed light on the role that a sustainable orientation plays in strengthening the relationships between global consumers and online brands. Despite many previous studies about the importance of sustainability considerations for national consumers’ brand commitments and purchase intentions, there is a lack of empirical studies focussing on this relationship from a global consumer perspective. A pre-study (consisting of focus group discussions) and a widely distributed international survey with responses from 74 countries show mixed results. Whereas the results from the focus groups imply that a sustainable orientation influences both global consumers’ purchase intentions and brand commitments towards online brands, the survey results imply that global consumers’ sustainable orientations do not affect purchase intentions directly, even though they influence brand commitments. An implication of these results is that an international online brand’s possibility to portray a sustainable orientation plays an important role in strengthening the relationship with global consumers, especially regarding brand commitment.

There are two different types of firm online internationalization retailers, default, and active online retailers. Previous research has implied that managers decide if a firm participates in international markets as a default or an active online retailer. However, there is a lack of previous studies about the development processes of international SMEs that move from default into becoming active online internationalization retailers. Therefore, this paper examines this process by analyzing a case study from the Swedish retail industry. More specifically, the aim of this paper is to narrowly study the process of how an international SME can transform from being a DOI into becoming an AOI retailer. The results imply that an international retail SME that wants to change from being a default into becoming an active online internationalization retailer needs to develop an online marketing capability. Internationalizing retailing SMEs need an online marketing capability to develop the online shops and business concepts they need to support their continuous internationalization journeys.

Trots att globalisering och digitalisering har gjort det enklare än någonsin tidigare att etablera sig internationellt, så innebär globala affärer fortfarande stora utmaningar och risker. Många viktiga internationaliseringsbeslut fattas ofta på basis av magkänsla eller personliga kontakter på specifika marknader. Även om detta kan fungera i enstaka fall visar forskning att avsaknaden av en robust strategi gör det svårt att åstadkomma positiva resultat i längden.

Denna bok utgår från tidlösa principer och forskningsresultat från svenska och internationella strategiforskare för att beskriva vilka faktorer som gör globala affärer mer eller mindre framgångsrika. Särskilt fokus läggs vid Dunningmodellen, ett beprövat forskningsbaserat strategiskt ramverk som kan tillämpas av moderna tillväxtföretag som verkar i en global ekonomi.  

Dunningmodellens styrka är att den kan hjälpa alla typer av företag att utveckla balanserade insikter och strategier för globala affärer utifrån det enskilda företagets förutsättningar. Insikter och begrepp tydliggörs genom användandet av konkreta exempel från svenska företag från flera olika branscher, exempelvis Annas Pepparkakor, BabyBjörn, auktionshuset Bukowskis, techbolaget Tobii, samt tillväxtföretag inom bioteknik.   Boken är skriven av forskare inom strategi och innovation vid Handelshögskolan i Stockholm och syftar till att sammanfatta relevant forskning och nya insikter på ett så praktiskt och lättillgängligt sätt som möjligt. Den är avsedd för alla som arbetar med olika former av globala affärer i strategiska, operativa, eller rådgivande roller.

There are two different types of firm online internationalization retailers, default, and active online retailers. Previous research has shown that it mostly is mangers who decide if firms participate in international markets as a default or an active online retailer. There are, however, a lack of previous studies about the development processes of international SMEs that move from being default into becoming active online retailers. Therefore, this paper studies this process by analyzing a case-study from the Swedish retail industry. The results imply that an international retail SMEs that wants to change from being a default into becoming an active online retailer needs to develop an online marketing capability. International retailing SMEs need an online marketing capability to develop the kinds of websites and business concepts that they need to support their internationalization journeys.

In this study, we seek to answer the question: How do emerging market SMEs (ESMEs) use customers as a source of learning to develop a cycle of improved knowledge management capability in the early stage of their development? We base our research on the capability lifecycles perspective and learning literature from a customer’s perspective. Using a multiple case design with a sample of five SMEs from the Software-as-a-service (SaaS) industry in Vietnam, the study introduces a mechanism that we call ambidextrous international customer learning that can be used to provide an explanation for the heterogeneity in the exploitation and exploration behaviors displayed by the investigated case-firms. We find that ESMEs internationalize early to acquire knowledge and capabilities that help them fit into a global standard. Firms which connect their exploitative and explorative learning processes to strategic customers are more likely to develop dynamic capabilities and survive their first years. We aim to contribute to the capability lifecycles perspective with a mechanism to increase the understanding about how ESMEs can develop capabilities that can move from an ordinary level to a dynamic level.

The aim of this paper is to shed light on the concept of strategic consensus and its development connected to digital transformation for firm internationalization. Based on one in-depth case study we show that strategic consensus develops over time among top managers. Once strategic consensus has been achieved among the top management team (TMT), the work to implement the strategic consensus among the other organization members remains. This paper sheds light on the importance of resource-commitment in achieving strategic consensus, especially connected to digital transformation and internationalization. Resource-commitment is necessary to convince and motivate organizational members to partake in digital transformation processes, which often will have strong implications for the continued internationalization of firms.