Theoretical and Empirical Research on the Internationalization of Latin American Enterprises

Guest Editors: Luciano Ciravegna (Royal Holloway, University of London; INCAE), Sumit K. Kundu (Florida International University), Luis Lopez (INCAE)

Submission Deadline: September 15, 2014

Since 2008-2009 emerging markets generate the lion share of the world’s economic growth. As a result, managers and business scholars have focused their attention on studying the dynamics of emerging markets (Buckley, Clegg, Cross, Liu, Voss, and Zheng, 2007; Cavusgil, Ghauri, and Akcal, 2012; Guillen and Garcia-Canal, 2012; Khanna and Palepu, 2010: Ciravegna, Fitzgerald and Kundu, 2013; Wright, Filatotchev, Hoskisson, and Peng, 2005). The rise of multinational companies from emerging markets is becoming a major phenomenon (Ramamurti and Singh, 2009; Cuervo-Cazurra, 2012; Luo and Rui, 2009; Yamakawa, Peng and Deeds, 2008).

Emerging market multinationals (EMNEs) internationalize differently from developed economy multinationals (Guillén and García-Canal, 2009; Luo and Rui, 2009; Matthews, 2007; Yiu, Lau and Bruton, 2007). According to Luo and Tang’s (2007) “springboard perspective”, EMNEs internationalize before reaching a stage of maturity in domestic markets because internationalization nurtures the acquisition of capabilities and assets that they may lack. Some scholars reject this view, positing that EMNEs behave similarly to multinationals based in developed economies, only they have different sets of country specific and firm specific advantages (Narula, 2012). Finally, some scholars point that EMNEs may internationalize in order to escape from difficult conditions in their domestic economies or to pursue opportunities in an entrepreneurial fashion (Khanna and Palepu, 2010; Madhok and Keyhani, 2012).

Most of the studies on which EMNEs theories focus on a very small number of emerging markets especially China and India (Ciravegna, Fitzgerald, and Kundu, 2013). Several Latin American firms have internationalized in aggressive and innovative ways, often outcompeting established players (Casanova, 2009). Latin American firms are now among the world global players in several industries, ranging from cement (Cemex), to aerospace (Embraer), bread (Bimbo), sweets (Arcor), and wine (Concha y Toro) (Guillén and García-Canal, 2009). However, our understanding of internationalization strategy of Latin American firms remains shallow (Pérez-Batres, Pisani, & Doh, 2010). International business scholars point that Latin American firms internationalize rather regionally, though the number of empirical studies examining the phenomenon is limited, and tends to focus on a few well known cases, whereas the majority of Latin American firms, including mid-sized multinational companies, have thus far been under the radar of scientific research (Casanova, 2009; Lopez, Ciravegna and Kundu, 2009; Rugman and Verbeke, 2004). The result is an empirical gap with regards to the generalizability of EMNE theories to Latin American firms.

Do Latin American firms behave similarly to the Chinese and Indian firms that have been discussed more thorougly by the international business literature? Or do they behave more in line with developed economy multinationals, internationalizing gradually as they accumulate resources and capabilities?

This special edition of JBR aims to contribute to the debate on emerging market multinationals by inviting scholarly articles focusing on the internationalization of firms based in Latin America. We are particularly interested in new studies, which use fresh empirical evidence to examine whether and how the internationalization of Latin American firms corresponds to the EMNE theories (e.g. springboard perspective, institutional void perspective, linkage-leverage-learning perspective), or whether they follow conventional IB theories (e.g. eclectic paradigm, resource based view, gradual internationalization process model, internalization theory, and network theory).

The guest editors seek studies focusing on firm internationalization based on one or multiple countries of Latin America. The contributions can tackle, among others, the following research questions:

• Which theories from the international business, international entrepreneurship, and international marketing fields are suited to explain the internationalization of Latin American companies?
• Does the internationalization of Latin American enterprises contribute to the development of emerging markets multinational enterprises (EMNEs) internationalization theories? How?
• Do the springboard and linkage-leverage-learning perspectives apply to Latin American  firms?
• What explains the speed and scope of internationalization of Latin American firms?
• What are the motives for internationalizing of Latin American firms?
• How important are ownership and the composition of the management team for the     internationalization of Latin American firms?
• Does the eclectic paradigm explain the internationalization of Latin American firms?
• Do institutional characteristics contribute to explain the international behavior of Latin  American companies?

To submit your work, please email your paper to Luciano Ciravegna at Luciano.ciravegna@incae.edu

All papers accepted in an initial screening will enter double-blind peer review process.

Submissions will be limited to 50 pages of text and up to ten figures and tables.  Submissions must comply to the JBR style requirements.  For JBR style requirements, go to http://cdn.elsevier.com/promis_misc/jbrrequirements.pdf.

 

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Ciravegna, L.; Fitzgerald, R., & Kundu, S. (2013) Operating in emerging markets. Financial Times (FT) Press, Pearson, New York, USA.

Ciravegna, L.; Lopez, L. & Kundu, S. (2013) “Country of origin and network effects on internationalization: A comparative study of SMEs from an emerging and developed economy”, Journal of Business Research, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2013.07.011

Ciravegna, L.; Lopez, L. & Kundu, S. (2009) “Born Global or Born Regional? Evidence from an exploratory study in the Costa Rican Software Industry”, Journal of International Business Studies, Vol. 40 (7): 1228-1238.

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