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The literature on early internationalization has evolved rapidly in the last few decades. Firms that achieve early and rapid internationalization have emerged as newcomers in the international arena. Disclosed in the late 1980s, international new ventures and born globals today are well known by academics, practitioners, and policymakers. However, the rapid evolution of literature on this topic has produced a considerable corpus of articles in just a few years, discouraging the realization of iterative and thematic analyses. Existing reviews have analyzed the first decade of research or some peculiar aspects of early internationalizing firms or have been focused on the wider international entrepreneurship domain. This article complements previous studies by reviewing the literature on early internationalizing firms over the years 2004–2018. The authors develop a systematic review of 280 studies investigating born globals, international new ventures, and early internationalizing firms that were published in leading journals in the field of international entrepreneurship. The goals of the review are as follows: to describe the state of the art of the literature on early internationalizing firms, to identify the themes that recurred during this period, and to highlight trends and future research perspectives in the field. As one of the implications, this study aims at serving as a summary and starting point for scholars and practitioners interested in early internationalization phenomenon.

Industry 4.0, a concept comprising a range of promising innovations enabled by the recent advancements in digital technologies, has become a priority of industrial policy in many European countries and regions. In this paper we present actions undertaken by regional organisations (including the so called Digital Innovation Hubs), fostering adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies in manufacturing companies. Using examples from Germany, Italy and Poland, we show actions that both allow to create general conditions for such implementations, but also help individual companies to create individual strategy for adopting Industry 4.0 innovations.

PurposeThis empirical paper investigates how entrepreneurial firms change their business models in the context of internationalization by identifying different forms of business model innovation (BMI) and exploring the interrelationship between BMI and internationalization.Design/methodology/approachBased on the dynamic states approach of entrepreneurship (Levie and Lichtenstein, 2010), this paper analyses primary and secondary data from nine European firms following a multiple case study approach.FindingsThis paper presents four patterns of radical change and eight types of incremental adaption with-in business models in the context of internationalization. We describe these BMI patterns and types, and we also show how they contribute to increasing involvement in international business activities and the internationalization-related triggers that might cause them.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to a better understanding of the BMI process in the course of internationalization. It also highlights the complex interrelationship between BMI and internationalization by building on a progressive theoretical approach.

The literature on firms’ early internationalization includes a huge number of studies investigating the entry stage of companies, while works on the post-entry growth and survival have recently been increasing. In this context, this study aims to better explain which factors determine the evolution of born globals (BGs) during their lifecycles. The authors analyze the growth processes of six Italian manufacturing BGs at different stages of their development, with a particular focus on the transition of the venture from entry to the post-entry stage. The findings show that the entrepreneurial capabilities of the founders have a crucial role during the first international expansion of the companies. As BGs enter the post-entry phase, a trade-off emerges between entrepreneurial capabilities and some specific firm resources aimed at achieving the sustainable growth of the company. Moreover, the authors identify the existence of a turning point when companies switch from the entry to the post-entry stage. During this phase, entrepreneurs manage a process to transform their individual capabilities into an organizational knowledge base. Future research areas and managerial implications are discussed.

Purpose – This paper aims to examine how three firms set up distribution networks in China and India. The authors highlight the criticalities in this process and the modifications necessary to adapt the firms’ distribution networks to the local conditions of both markets. Firms entering emerging markets (EMs) must deal with specific business and environmental conditions that can jeopardise their ability to succeed. The establishment of a proper distribution network is among the most pressing priorities for entering firms. Design/methodology/approach – The case study approach was used to analyse three European firms in the furniture sector. Findings – The results show that several adaptations of already-tested solutions were necessary to cope with the specificities of both markets. Such adaptations differently involved the three layers that form the firms’ distribution network: actors, activities and resources. Theoretical and managerial implications are derived from the results. Research limitations/implications – This paper considers only three firms, which belong to the same sector and target a similar market segment (the high-end market). Therefore, the conclusions can be generalised only under certain conditions. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the development of international marketing literature by specifically studying distribution networks in EM contexts.

PurposeThis article aims to contribute to the digital servitisation literature by investigating the interrelations amongst Industry 4.0 technologies, servitisation and the performance of manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).Design/methodology/approachThe research uses survey data drawn from 200 manufacturing SMEs operating in the metals and machinery sector in Italy.FindingsThe study shows that Industry 4.0 technologies – Internet of Things (IoT), advanced simulation, cloud computing and Big Data Analytics (BDA) – positively moderate the relationship between servitisation and the performance of SMEs.Research limitations/implicationsThe study supports the need for firm managers of manufacturing SMEs to align servitisation and technological investments, suggesting that the synergic deployment of Industry 4.0 technologies supports servitisation performance.Practical implicationsThe study supports the need for firm managers operating in business-to-business contexts to align their technological investments and servitisation strategies, suggesting that the synergic deployment of these Industry 4.0 technologies empower the effectiveness of servitisation strategies in terms of performance achieved.Originality/valueThe study highlights the moderating role played by specific Industry 4.0 technologies in the servitisation–performance relationship, opening avenues for future research exploring the mechanisms that underpin this complex relationship.

PurposeThe advantages of offshoring are increasingly under scrutiny, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has advanced the debate, calling for a redefinition of firms' production location strategies. While attention has primarily focused on the relocation of second-degree strategies, such as back-shoring, near-shoring and further offshoring, there are also other alternatives, including home country-based domestic product and process innovations, and the development of new business activities. The objective of the authors' paper is to identify which factors influence decision-makers when they select and implement such post-offshoring strategic alternatives.Design/methodology/approachThe authors consider 11 Italian manufacturing companies that implemented these strategies and analyze triggers, drivers, enabling factors and barriers of the decision phase, as well as content, governance mode and timing of the implementation phase.FindingsBased on the collected findings, the authors suggest a set of propositions for further research. First of all, firms can simultaneously manage multiple strategies by adopting an ambidextrous approach through which to mitigate supply chain risks. They may integrate their domestic and international production activities, but the home country remains central for innovations and production of high-end products and Industry 4.0 technologies increases the probability of investing in their home country. At the same time, lack of competence induces selective near- and back-shoring, while full back-shoring is mainly a consequence of managerial mistakes. Competence availability acts as a barrier to relocation in the home country, inducing the implementation of either an insourcing strategy or a combination of insourcing and outsourcing.Originality/valueThe authors' work identifies post-offshoring as a dynamic process and provides insights into the post-pandemic scenario. The conceptual framework may represent a useful tool for company managers in re-evaluating their initial offshoring strategies.

The article investigates the impact of three dimensions of the speed of internationalization speed – the entry timing, the initial speed and the pace of international expansion – on the performance of exporting small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). To this purpose, we adopt a mixed-method approach analysing quantitative and qualitative data on Italian-exporting SMEs. The results show that entry timing, which is not relevant per se, moderates the positive impact of the initial speed on SME’s performance. Furthermore, a higher pace of international expansion is negatively related to the performance of SMEs. Building on the early internationalization literature, the study contributes to the existing literature on performance outcomes of the speed of internationalization of SMEs. The study has managerial implications for managers and entrepreneurs who are planning to internationalize.

Industry 4.0, a concept comprising a range of promising innovations enabled by the recent advancements in digital technologies, has become a priority of industrial policy in many European countries and regions. In this paper, we present actions undertaken by regional organisations (including the so-called Digital Innovation Hubs), fostering the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies in manufacturing companies. Using examples from Germany, Italy and Poland, we show actions that enable the creation of general conditions for such implementations and help companies develop an individual strategy for adopting Industry 4.0 innovations.

La Industria 4.0, un concepto que comprende una serie de prometedoras innovaciones posibilitadas por los recientes avances en las tecnologías digitales, se ha convertido en una prioridad de la política industrial de muchos países y regiones europeos. En este documento presentamos las acciones emprendidas por organizaciones regionales (incluidos los denominados Centros de Innovación Digital) para fomentar la adopción de las tecnologías de la Industria 4.0 en las empresas manufactureras. Utilizando ejemplos de Alemania, Italia y Polonia, mostramos acciones que permiten crear condiciones generales para tales implementaciones a nivel regional, pero también ayudan a las empresas individuales a crear una estrategia individual para la adopción de las innovaciones de la Industria 4.0.