Title: Exploring the evolution of the network strategies of internationally experienced firms in an entry into a new foreign market: a longitudinal and comparative case study

Authors: Simon Norheim Colclough; Øystein Moen; Alex Rialp-Criado

Addresses: Section for Innovation Studies, HVL Business School, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Haugesund, Norway ' Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway ' Department of Business, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

Abstract: How the effectual and causal network strategies of internationally experienced firms evolve throughout the entry process into a new foreign market has received little attention in the literature. We address this limitation through a longitudinal and comparative exploratory case study of the network strategies of two internationally experienced Norwegian firms entering the same foreign market, China. One of the firms is a small and specialised firm that entered China through a low commitment mode of entry, while the other is a large and vertically integrated firm that entered China through a high commitment mode of entry. We find that in the initial entry stage the firms adopted different network strategies that were deeply anchored in their past experiences, while convergence towards a mainly causal network strategy tailored to their Chinese networks is observed in the post-entry stage. Based on the data, we infer that this convergence stems from the firms strengthening their network-specific experience and position, enabling them both to manage external resources more actively to further penetrate the Chinese market in the post-entry stage.

Keywords: effectuation; causation; networks; network strategy; network change; international experience; entry process.

DOI: 10.1504/EJIM.2026.153180

European Journal of International Management, 2026 Vol.29 No.1, pp.1 - 21

Received: 13 Dec 2023
Accepted: 31 May 2024
Published online: 29 Apr 2026 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article