The support that networks offer during the internationalization process is well documented in the international business literature. However, this work has primarily focused on firm-level networks while underappreciating the cooperative behaviors that may emerge among organizations in the pursuit of common network-level goals. To better understand these concerted and coordinated actions, we engaged in a qualitative examination of two clusters of Italian organizations abroad. We observed that goal-directed and governed networks emerged in these clusters, bounded by their common desire to support Italian firms’ internationalization. This insight underlies our contributions to the international business and whole network literatures. We offer a process model outlining the emergence of a particular type of whole network: the country-of-origin network. This process is much more distributed, emergent, and context-dependent than previously theorized. Our model illustrates that network development involves the active and coordinated efforts of diverse actors working to create infrastructure that can be accessed by and shared between new and existing organizations. Our finding that both networks were governed utilizing a distinct but context-appropriate governance structure provides new insight into how networks support internationalization. Furthermore, it illustrates that whole network-level support is distinct from, but complementary to, the firm-to-firm support highlighted in previous studies.

中文翻译：

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国外整个原产地网络发展

网络在国际化过程中提供的支持在国际商业文献中有详细记载。然而，这项工作主要集中在公司级网络上，而低估了在追求共同网络级目标时组织之间可能出现的合作行为。为了更好地了解这些协调一致的行动，我们对两个意大利海外组织集群进行了定性检查。我们观察到这些集群中出现了以目标为导向和受治理的网络，受到它们支持意大利公司国际化的共同愿望的限制。这种洞察力是我们对国际商业和整个网络文学做出贡献的基础。我们提供了一个流程模型，概述了特定类型的整个网络的出现：原产国网络。这个过程比之前的理论更分散、更紧急、更依赖于上下文。我们的模型表明，网络开发涉及不同参与者的积极和协调努力，致力于创建可由新组织和现有组织访问和共享的基础设施。我们发现这两个网络都使用独特但适合上下文的治理结构进行治理，这为网络如何支持国际化提供了新的见解。此外，它说明了整个网络层面的支持与之前研究中强调的公司间支持不同，但又是互补的。我们的模型表明，网络开发涉及不同参与者的积极和协调努力，致力于创建可由新组织和现有组织访问和共享的基础设施。我们发现这两个网络都使用独特但适合上下文的治理结构进行治理，这为网络如何支持国际化提供了新的见解。此外，它说明了整个网络层面的支持与之前研究中强调的公司间支持不同，但又是互补的。我们的模型表明，网络开发涉及不同参与者的积极和协调努力，致力于创建可由新组织和现有组织访问和共享的基础设施。我们发现这两个网络都使用独特但适合上下文的治理结构进行治理，这为网络如何支持国际化提供了新的见解。此外，它说明了整个网络层面的支持与之前研究中强调的公司间支持不同，但又是互补的。