The aim of this study is to investigate how innovations by born global firms influence their long-term international growth. In the early stages, an entrepreneur with a global mindset, who drives product and market innovations-such as developing a unique product and engaging with multiple customers and markets in an innovative, resource-efficient way-plays a key role in driving initial international expansion. This is achieved by rapidly entering multiple markets and leveraging economies of scope. In later stages, management decisions to invest in process innovation-creating an agile organization that operates independently of direct management oversight, focusing on strategic markets, investing in branding and digital marketing, and insourcing strategic activities to enhance control and economies of scale-contribute to sustained international growth. This study supports and extends theories that suggest organizations can be consciously developed and orchestrated through the intentional choices and actions of entrepreneurs. © 2024 The Author.

This study examines how a firm rebrand acquired brands, which brand dimensions matter most for customers and employees, and how companies in a rebranding situation can transfer the brand equity from the original brand to the brand that is absorbing it. Using a case study of a multinational business-to-business life sciences company undergoing global rebranding process, we find that for customers and employees on a strategic level, support or resistance is primarily functional, and the critical brand knowledge dimension is awareness. At operational level, individuals value brand’s symbolic value, and the brand knowledge dimension critical for success is image. In a rebranding process, B2B brand managers should focus on brand image in the minds of employees and users who work closely with the product, and focus on brand awareness with strategic buyers. 

Purpose: This study aims to explore challenges and opportunities in the digitalization of the business-to-business (B2B) customer journey in different buying situations. It also investigates where in the customer journey digital marketing is most efficient. Design/methodology/approach: This research adopts a single case study approach to examine a B2B company that implemented digitalization in its customer journey in different buying situations. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, complemented by internal documents and information from the company’s website and social media, to identify reasons for and against the decision to digitalize the B2B customer journey. Findings: Digitalization can offer firms a cost-effective and value-creating way to interact with customers in a B2B context. The B2B buying situation, however, plays a significant role in decisions on how to implement digitalization. Moreover, in the prepurchase phase, digital marketing is more effective in building awareness; in the purchase phase, personal selling is more effective in addressing customers’ needs. Research limitations/implications: The use of a single case study cannot produce results directly generalizable to other contexts. However, the findings are applicable to the digitalization of B2B customer journeys in similar industrial contexts. Practical implications: To successfully implement digitalization in the customer journey, B2B firms should choose digital tools according to different buying situations and phases in the customer journey, segment buyers by their needs rather than individual characteristics and integrate the sales and marketing functions. Originality/value: This study contradicts prior research that claims that digital marketing can be used in a similar way in both B2B and business-to-consumer contexts. It further shows that the relevant demarcation is not between personal sales and digitalization but between automated digital marketing and individualized personal sales, regardless of medium. © 2024, Svante Andersson, Ulf Aagerup, Lisa Svensson and Sanna Eriksson.

Purpose: This study examines the challenges that multinational enterprises (MNEs) in the life sciences industry face during international product launches. The focus is on understanding the barriers MNEs encounter in various national contexts and aims to explore how institutional environments shape the product launch process and the strategies MNEs use to gain acceptance across different markets.

Design/methodology/approach: A case study approach is used, with 20 interviews with key employees from multiple sites and countries within one MNE involved in launching new products. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and supplemented by internal documents.

Findings: The study develops a framework that summarizes key factors influencing the launch process, including pricing, dynamic capabilities, brand awareness, and regulatory compliance. A typology is created to categorize markets into four distinct quadrants based on brand awareness and price sensitivity levels

Originality: This research contributes to the literature by integrating theories of legitimation and institutional influence with the process of new product launches. It offers a framework for understanding the dynamic factors at play and proposes a typology that focus on the complexities of launching products across different market contexts, particularly in the heavily regulated life sciences sector.

Purpose: This study describes how a multinational enterprise (MNE) gains acceptance after rebranding acquired brands from different countries among its internal and external stakeholders and identifies factors that influence this process.

Design/methodology/approach: The study employed a single case-study approach, including 18 semi-structured in-depth interviews with employees of a firm involved in the rebranding process in six countries. The countries are Sweden, Germany, the United States, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico.

Findings: The findings reveal how the MNE integrated brands it acquired in different international markets into one overarching corporate brand. The study shows that in emerging countries, external legitimation (external implementation process, country profiles and customer buy-in) constitutes the most significant challenge. By contrast, in developed countries, internal legitimation (employee buy-in and internal implementation process) is more challenging.

Research limitations/implications: The study contributes to and extends the rebranding literature by using a legitimation lens to analyze the rebranding process. This lens shows how internal and external stakeholders are both crucial to successful rebranding. The study provides a comprehensive perspective of the process, identifies challenging factors and differentiates between their importance in emerging and developed countries.

Originality/value: To address the dearth of research on how firms legitimize a new brand in different national contexts, the study compares the rebranding process in multiple countries and discusses the factors influencing the rebranding process.

This research had the objective to analyze the influence of network transitions within the life cycle stages of Born Globals (BGs). By developing a framework that consisted of a pre-inception phase, start-up phase, and growth phase, the study proposed to identify which networks were used and which knowledge was acquired within the development of the BGs, in order to analyze the network transitions that influenced its international expansion. By conducting in-depth interviews, the data was collected for the analysis of a comparative case study. Our empirical findings indicate that in the pre-inception phase, technological knowledge from institutional and business networks was pivotal to acquiring internal development making it possible for the companies to progress to the inception phase. Furthermore, international marketing knowledge acquired through business networks contributed to the transition from the inception phase to the growth phase as well as its internationalization. The results imply that high-tech entrepreneurs should consider developing business and institutional networks as an efficient mean for firm development and rapid internationalization. © 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often face significant barriers during internationalisation. This paper aims to examine how formal industry clusters, defined as groups of similar firms in a specific geographic area, can reduce these barriers and enable successful global expansion for SMEs. It highlights the role of legitimacy within these clusters, a crucial aspect that can directly influence SMEs' ability to attract global partners and investors. The paper focuses on the life sciences industry within the developed contexts of Scotland and Denmark, through a qualitative approach involving interviews with 17 CEOs and founders of SMEs in this industry. The findings offer valuable insights by extending legitimacy theory, highlighting how industry clusters facilitate SMEs' legitimacy, and addressing challenges like resource accessibility, adaptations, and partnerships. It emphasises the dynamic relationship between internationalisation and legitimacy, noting its variability across different internationalisation stages.

Digitalization has enabled entrepreneurs to adopt digital tools to create opportunities and reach customers in international markets. Yet, the understanding of international digital entrepreneurial marketing in the global marketplace is limited. Drawing on social network theory, the authors investigate how entrepreneurs’ social ties and firms’ international digital entrepreneurial marketing influence small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) internationalization. Based on multiple case study methodology, the results suggest that entrepreneurs’ bonding and bridging ties facilitate different dimensions of international digital entrepreneurial marketing. That further enhances the intensity and geographic scope of SME internationalization. SME internationalization also reinforces entrepreneurs’ accumulation of social ties. This study contributes to international marketing research by developing the dimensions of the international digital entrepreneurial marketing concept and exploring its important role in SME internationalization. © The Author(s) 2023.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are considered the foundation of economic and social development and provide a platform for industrial growth. For many SMEs, conducting the internationalisation process successfully is difficult due to limited resources and capabilities. Moreover, the process is hindered by the unfavourable institutional environment. To assist during this process, formal industry cluster's role can be considered an intermediary organisation helping SMEs expand globally. 

Industry clusters are groups of firms located in the same geographical area operating in the same industry with formal governance structures or formal membership of firms and other institutions. These formal industry clusters help overcome the hinders of internationalisation, by, for example, geographically concentrating a network of multiple firms to facilitate sharing networks and knowledge. Formal industry clusters can contribute to SMEs expanding their global reach and international opportunities. Furthermore, the legitimacy of SMEs within these clusters has an essential role during this global expansion since their perceived legitimacy can impact their ability to attract investors and partners, both locally and globally. 

There are multiple empirical studies on the topic in different countries and industries. However, little is known in developed countries from the life science industry perspective, particularly when examining multiple case studies. Despite the importance of this sector, which deals with improving human health and developing new medicines and medical technologies, focusing on the internationalisation of SMEs is extremely important. Moreover, considering different institutional environments, more research is needed for comparative studies.

Due to this context, this study addresses two research questions. First, what internationalisation hinders companies face in formal industrial clusters? And, how do formal industry clusters increase SMEs legitimation to facilitate international growth? To answer these questions, a qualitative approach was adopted with data collected through interviews with 14 owners and/or key executives from SMEs in the life science industry in Scotland. Additionally, three interviews were conducted with individuals responsible for organisations supporting these SMEs. 

Scotland was specifically chosen since the life science industry is significant for the country, with firms growing from £4.5 billion in 2014 to £6.6bn in 2018, and employment in the sector steadily increasing to 40,000 people. The selection of firms was based on multiple criteria, including firms from the same cluster and industry, size and age of the firms, and finally the international presence of the firms, in different stages.

This study offers insights into the patterns and hinders of the internationalisation process faced by firms in formal industrial clusters and their implications for international entrepreneurship. Moreover, it explores the hinders firms face in establishing legitimacy in international markets, and how they can overcome these hinders by joining formal industry clusters. Hindrances include market focus and adaptation to different ecosystems, political and regulatory uncertainties, global challenges and local context, intellectual property protection and partnerships, and collaboration of healthcare systems. Additionally, the study emphasises how formal industry clusters increase SMEs' legitimation for international growth by providing access to funding, expertise and industry connections, support for regulatory compliance and market approval, among others.

The findings of this paper have implications for international entrepreneurship, as they provide an understanding of the hindrances that SMEs face during the internationalisation process. By examining the life science industry in Scotland, this research provides valuable insights into the obstacles SMEs face in a specific context. Moreover, this paper has practical implications for policymakers, industry practitioners, and SME entrepreneurs, guiding overcoming hindrances and leveraging formal industry clusters to facilitate international growth.