Purpose

Contemporary frameworks in the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm observe that the proprietary firm-specific assets of multinational companies (MNCs) from developed economies give them competitive advantage in international markets. However, the question “how do emerging market firms (EMFs) achieve accelerated internationalisation in knowledge based industries – despite not possessing proprietary assets and lacking critical elements of innovation eco-systems, institutions and infrastructure” has yet to be addressed. This paper aims to adopt a knowledge-based view (KBV) of the firm, identifying knowledge, both inside and outside of the firm, as a critical element for the internationalization of EMFs.

Design/methodology/approach

This research entailed deductive econometric analyses using panel data analysis from 925 firm-year observations, which tested our predictions on capabilities that contribute to the internationalization of EMFs from the IT industry in India.

Findings

The findings of the authors’ panel data analysis reveal that the capacity to internationalize is predicated by knowledge leverage in three principal domains: absorptive capacity, tacit knowledge and knowledge-codification. This study shows internationalization is driven by higher-order capabilities of EMFs that draw on the absorptive capacity of individuals and collectives as a dynamic capability to serve international clients worldwide.

Research limitations/implications

This study highlights that the process by which EMFs gain competence is different to the Western MNCs insofar as the extent to which EMFs have to stretch their efforts of learning from clients.

Practical implications

For practitioners, the findings of this research are a useful guide to understand that EMFs need to make strategic investments to understand the idiosyncrasies of a variety of clients’ needs and operating environments to dynamically adapt, document the learning and leverage the tacit knowledge.

Social implications

This study captures the innate ability of entrepreneurs in emerging economies to unlock their potential in human capital for globalizing operations and targeting new market segments in the industry. This can directly benefit in uplifting the income level of millions in relatively underdeveloped countries and bringing about much-needed equity in the level of income in the society.

Originality/value

The value of this study lies in its novel and contemporary insight on how EMFs leapfrog in a fast-changing technology space. What distinguishes the work from the static framework in literature is that EMFs learning is dynamic, and happens in an interactive mode, alongside clients in close proximity. This study captures the innate ability of entrepreneurs to unlock the potential of human capital in emerging economies for globalizing operations.

中文翻译：

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基于知识的新兴市场公司国际化观点：印度 IT 行业的案例

目的

公司基于资源的观点 (RBV) 的当代框架观察到，来自发达经济体的跨国公司 (MNC) 的专有公司特定资产赋予它们在国际市场上的竞争优势。然而，“新兴市场公司 (EMF) 如何在知识产业加速国际化——尽管没有专有资产，缺乏创新生态系统、机构和基础设施的关键要素”这一问题仍有待解决。本文旨在采用基于知识的公司观点 (KBV)，将公司内部和外部的知识识别为 EMF 国际化的关键要素。

设计/方法/方法

这项研究需要使用来自 925 个公司年观察的面板数据分析进行演绎计量经济学分析，该分析检验了我们对有助于印度 IT 行业 EMF 国际化的能力的预测。

发现

作者的面板数据分析结果表明，国际化能力取决于三个主要领域的知识杠杆作用：吸收能力、隐性知识和知识编码。这项研究表明，国际化是由 EMF 的高阶能力驱动的，它利用个人和集体的吸收能力作为为全球国际客户提供服务的动态能力。

研究限制/影响

本研究强调，EMF 获得能力的过程与西方跨国公司不同，EMF 必须在多大程度上努力向客户学习。

实际影响

对于从业者来说，这项研究的结果有助于理解 EMF 需要进行战略投资以了解各种客户需求和运营环境的特质，以动态适应、记录学习并利用隐性知识。

社会影响

这项研究捕捉了新兴经济体企业家的先天能力，以释放他们在人力资本方面的潜力，以实现全球化运营和瞄准行业中的新细分市场。这可以直接有利于提高相对欠发达国家数百万人的收入水平，并在社会收入水平上实现急需的公平。

原创性/价值

这项研究的价值在于它对 EMF 如何在快速变化的技术空间中跨越式发展的新颖而现代的见解。这项工作与文献中的静态框架的区别在于，EMF 学习是动态的，并且以交互模式发生，与客户近距离接触。本研究捕捉了企业家在新兴经济体中释放人力资本潜力以实现全球化运营的与生俱来的能力。