Title: Early internationalisation of emerging MNEs: case of Top Glove Malaysia

Authors: Fariza Hashim

Addresses: College of Business Administration, Prince Sultan University, P.O. Box 53073, Riyadh 11586, Saudi Arabia

Abstract: Internationalisation is no longer a choice but is a necessity that enables firms to grow and expand competitively. This study aims to assess the process of internationalisation of a Malaysian local firm which started as a new venture and then expanded globally and drastically to ensure its foothold in the global market. Top Glove Corporation Ltd is among the pioneers from local companies that internationalise by capitalising its limited resources and exploiting its exports and other international operations abroad. This study is qualitatively conducted where content analysis was used to examine its internationalisation process. The findings indicate that the company was successful in its early internationalisation despite limited resources and capabilities thus challenging the existing internationalisation models in the literature. The company represents a truly born global company from the emerging country of Malaysia.

Keywords: entrepreneurship; early internationalisation; emerging MNEs; multinational enterprises; case study; born globals; Malaysia; emerging economies.

DOI: 10.1504/JGBA.2013.053560

Journal for Global Business Advancement, 2013 Vol.6 No.2, pp.120 - 137

Published online: 01 May 2013 *

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