Title: Co-evolutionary perspective on internationalisation: a multilevel analysis of Brazilian firms

Authors: Fábio Dal-Soto; Jefferson Marlon Monticelli; Yeda Swirski De Souza; Luciana Marques Vieira

Addresses: Unisinos Business School, Av. Unisinos, 950 – Bairro Cristo Rei, São Leopoldo/RS, Brazil ' Unisinos Business School, Av. Unisinos, 950 – Bairro Cristo Rei, São Leopoldo/RS, Brazil ' Unisinos Business School, Av. Unisinos, 950 – Bairro Cristo Rei, São Leopoldo/RS, Brazil ' Unisinos Business School, Av. Unisinos, 950 – Bairro Cristo Rei, São Leopoldo/RS, Brazil

Abstract: The internationalisation paths of firms are influenced by several internal and external factors. This study analyses the internationalisation strategy of two software firms from an emergent context, by using a multilevel analysis model of the co-evolutionary perspective. The study broadens the understanding of the internationalisation, once it analyses the firms' internationalisation paths, movement of resources, and characteristics of this industry and business environment, with a qualitative way through comparative cases. Data were collected from websites of the firms and existing publications about them, as well as interviews. The approach covers three stages of the trajectories: conditioning, experiment, and expansion. The results show that the interaction between internal and external factors of the firm permeates its three evolution phases, nevertheless prevailing the internal sources of resources and sometimes the dynamic of the industry to decision-making on international expansion. The co-evolutionary perspective contributes to the analysis of interdependent different factors along the internationalisation path.

Keywords: co-evolutionary perspective; internationalisation; software industry; Brazilian firms; Brazil.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBEM.2017.086661

International Journal of Business and Emerging Markets, 2017 Vol.9 No.3, pp.285 - 301

Received: 02 Nov 2015
Accepted: 30 Oct 2016

Published online: 18 Sep 2017 *

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