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Family firm internationalization has become a topic of interest over the last few decades. However, there has been surprisingly little research about the actual international business decision-making in the family firm literature. The purpose of this article is to highlight specific family firm factors which affect the international business decision-making. Based on examples on international market entry, target market choice, entry mode choice, and entry timing decisions, it is suggested that long-term and regional orientation, knowledge-base and its transfer, bifurcation-bias, and perseverance of family managers are important factors affecting international business decision-making among family SMEs.

THE ACADEMY OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS (UK and Ireland Chapter) Published in association with the UK and Ireland Chapter of the Academy of International Business International Business: New Challenges, New Forms, New perspectives provides in-depth and new knowledge about some of the most recent challenges for international businesses such as corporate social responsibility, the phenomenon of outward foreign direct investment from China, and the international growth of smaller firms, including international new ventures. This volume also reflects on new perspectives in international business by presenting the experience of successful business experts in the field in managing large international projects, the issues they face and the strategies they use to tackle them.

PurposeThis paper aims to explore value co-creation between manufacturing firms and third-party logistics providers (3PLs). The specific focus is on resources and value co-creation with the aim to examine a set of relationships among the 3PL's resource commitment, collaboration and innovation, and their performance outcomes.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data consisting of 142 UK manufacturing firms are used to study the 3PL and manufacturing customer value co-creation. The confirmatory factor model (CFA) and subsequent structural equation model were tested using EQS 6.1.FindingsThe findings show that collaboration between the manufacturers and the 3PLs mediates the relationship between resource commitment and innovation, and performance. 3PLs are becoming much more of a collaborative partner which support the idea of value co-creation strategy.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is cross-sectional; temporal evolution of value co-creation should be studied in the future.Practical implicationsWhen manufacturers and 3PLs collaborate to target efforts strategically, the 3PL's resource commitment can be directed towards the development of new innovative approaches.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the discussion of forms of co-creation, and theoretical frameworks which would enable us to understand how customers and other actors engage with the companies in collaborative value creation activities.

Purpose
– The purpose of this study is to clarify business-to-business (B2B) customers' behavior regarding their social media use for B2B purposes and the antecedents of this behavior in the industrial marketing setting. It explores the influence of corporate culture, colleagues' support and personal and psychological factors on customer behavior toward social media business use.


Design/methodology/approach
– The authors conducted an online questionnaire survey among key customer accounts of an information technology service company (N = 82). Partial least squares (PLS) path modeling was utilized to analyze the relationship between the dependent variable (social media business use) and the independent variables.


Findings
– Results show that private social media usage has the most significant relationship with the social media business use. Colleagues at work are also supporting B2B social media use and personal characteristics are also of importance. Surprisingly, perception of usability of social media for B2B use did not explain social media business use within our sample.


Research limitations/implications
– The chosen methodology, sampling frame and sample size may limit generalizability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed hypothesis in other settings, particularly as the diffusion of B2B social media increases.


Practical implications
– The paper provides insights into how marketing managers can make an impact with their social media marketing. For example, when planning social media activities, companies need to consider which social media services could serve their marketing and communication targets and would reach the customers.


Originality/value
– Studies related to social media in B2B, especially from a customer's perspective, are still limited, and the authors do not know how customer firms value industrial marketing activities in social media. This novel paper provides insights into managers' reasons for using social media and gives guidelines for B2B marketers on how to conduct social media marketing in the future.

PurposeThe establishment and growth of new ventures play a major role in wealth creation in most industrialized economies. Consequently, there is much emphasis these days on how to foster their growth, and on determining the fundamental prerequisites. The purpose of this paper is to propose an evolutionary knowledge‐based framework for understanding and testing the linkage between the nature of the firm's knowledge and its growth.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical analysis is based on an extensive survey of 171 new ventures in the information and communications technology industry.FindingsThe findings indicate the existence of a relationship between some of the proposed knowledge determinants and new venture growth. For example, the ability to scale the firm's knowledge‐based resources in economic terms has an effect on past and future growth as well as on growth orientation.Research limitations/implicationsWhereas there is growing interest in the growth of entrepreneurial new ventures, emerging theories in the area of strategic management, such as the knowledge‐based view (KBV) of the firm, have not often been applied as theoretical bases in studies focusing on this phenomenon. This paper broadens the understanding of new venture growth by scrutinizing the main knowledge determinants, including appropriability (tacitness and patent protection), the threat of opportunism, economies of scale, economies of scope/synergies, and asset specificity.Practical implicationsThe notion that different knowledge is needed in the different phases of the new‐venture life cycle is important for practitioners seeking growth. Managers need to analyze the context and business environment with care, and accordingly to choose the right strategy.Originality/valueThis paper broadens the thinking on new venture growth in analyzing the influence of knowledge inside the firm in terms of various theory‐based determinants.

Purpose– The purpose of this article is to, first, offer insights into the relationship between industry idiosyncrasies and international new ventures (INVs), and then present a research conceptual framework that identifies the role of industry factors in new venture internationalization processes and strategies. Second, the authors introduce the content of this special issue.Design/methodology/approach– This conceptual article builds on extant studies on INVs operating in different industrial contexts. Particular attention is given to the role of industry influences in the processes of new venture internationalization, in terms of speed, geographical scope and entry strategy. Such factors are discussed to formulate a conceptual framework as a basis for further research.Findings– The conceptual framework identifies key industry factors as well as emergent factors that influence the new venture internationalization process, in terms of speed, geographical scope and entry strategy. Such key influencing factors are competition and structure, industry life cycle, industry concentration, knowledge intensity, local cluster internationalization and global industry integration. Emergent factors are identified as new business models, technology and industry network dynamics.Research limitations/implications– This article is conceptual in nature, and thus empirical research is recommended in diverse contexts.Practical implications– Further analysis of industry factors is a valid research avenue for understanding INVs.Originality/value– This special issue offers new insights into how industry factors influence INVs' internationalization processes in terms of speed, scope and entry strategy.

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to study the effect of environmental turbulence and leader characteristics on international performance. It is suggested that these phenomena explain the differences between knowledge‐intensive companies and traditional industrial enterprises in the internationalization process. The empirical part of the study is based on a large cross‐industrial survey of Finnish small and medium‐sized enterprises. Our results indicate that knowledge‐intensive firms have experienced more intensive international growth than other firms. They are also operating in an environment in which technological turbulence is significantly higher, and their leaders put more emphasis on internationalization. Generally, environmental turbulence is a better indicator of international performance in knowledge‐intensive firms than in others.RésuméDans le présent article, nous étudions l'impact de la turbulence environnementale et des caractéristiques des leaders sur la performance internationale. On estime que ces phénomènes rendent compte des différences qui existent, dans le processus d'internationalisation, entre les entreprises à forte concentration de savoir et les entreprises industrielles traditionnelles. La partie empirique de l'étude s'appuie sur une grande enquête trans‐industrielle de petites et moyennes entreprises finnoises. Nos résultats indiquent que les entreprises à forte concentration de savoir connaissent une croissance internationale plus grande que les autres entreprises. L'étude montre aussi que les entreprises à forte concentration de savoir opèrent dans un environnement marqué par une plus grande turbulence technologique. Par ailleurs, leurs leaders mettent plus l'accent sur l'internationalisation. D'une façon générale, la turbulence environnementale permet de mieux apprécier la performance internationale dans les entreprises à forte concentration de savoir que dans d'autres entreprises.

Purpose Although both institutional export assistance and entrepreneurial orientation (EO) contribute separately and positively to export performance, the interplay between them has received little attention. This study examines the role of international EO in deriving performance benefits from governmental and nongovernmental export assistance. Design/methodology/approach In this longitudinal study, two surveys were administered at two different times: In 2011, 705 Bangladeshi apparel exporters were surveyed, and in 2019, a subsequent survey of 198 firms in multiple industries was conducted. The aim of the surveys was to assess the relationships between governmental and nongovernmental assistance, EO and export performance. Findings The results of the first survey show that, while nongovernmental assistance influences performance directly and via EO, governmental assistance has only direct effects. Furthermore, the negative influence of government assistance on EO reduces the total effects and renders them nonsignificant. The results of the second survey demonstrate that government EPPs have both direct and indirect positive and significant effects on market performance, indicating a partial mediation, whereas quasi-governmental assistance has positive and significant direct effects as well as negative but nonsignificant indirect effects. Nongovernmental EPPs have both direct and indirect significant effects on international performance, indicating a partial mediation. Research limitations/implications The study has important implications for researchers studying export assistance and its impact on firm performance. Instead of adopting a parochial view of government assistance, this study categorizes such assistance into three types – government, quasi-government and nongovernment. Furthermore, this study bridges the export assistance and international entrepreneurship literature by including EO. Practical implications Entrepreneurs must emphasize the use of government assistance in order to enhance export performance. However, to promote both entrepreneurship and performance, they must emphasize nongovernment assistance. Exporters should also capitalize on the assistance extended by various quasi-governmental agencies to bolster export performance. Originality/value Given the performance advantage of export assistance, this study highlights the contribution of the private sector in promoting export entrepreneurship while shedding light on the pernicious role of (quasi-)governmental assistance in export entrepreneurship.