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An ambidextrous learning model for the internationalization of firms from emerging economies

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Abstract

Emerging economies are playing an increasingly important role in the global economy. The rising phenomenon of the internationalization process of firms in emerging economies, or emerging market firms, particularly their capacity to increase their presence in the markets of developed economies, has been insufficiently studied. Because of the unique characteristics of emerging economies, some assumptions of traditional international models are irrelevant. This paper provides a theoretical framework that explains the importance of different types of knowledge and the relationships between them in the internationalization process. We delineate an ambidextrous learning strategy that is contingent on different levels of firm competitiveness.

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Acknowledgments

We are thankful for the constructive comments from the three reviewers and the editor-in-chief of the Journal of International Entrepreneurship during the multiple revision process. Presentation at the Academy of International Management (Indianapolis) provided helpful feedback on earlier versions of this paper.

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  1. Universidad ORT Uruguay, 2633 Bvar España, Montevideo, Uruguay

    Christian Keen

  2. Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University, 1001 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC, H3A-1G5, Canada

    Yuanyuan Wu

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Correspondence to Christian Keen.

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Keen, C., Wu, Y. An ambidextrous learning model for the internationalization of firms from emerging economies. J Int Entrep 9, 316–339 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10843-011-0081-2

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