A schematic synthesis of the theories of internationalization of the firm.

What is it about?

This article carries out an integrative analysis of internationalization theories. The most important contributions to the literature on internationalization theories are used to create a schematic table giving a framework overview. This approach shows the high-level interaction of the literature, covering all internationalization theories, their focus and basic assumptions, while at the same time showing their historical timeline. We identify the main schools of thought – ranging from economics based to integrative models – using an analysis that begins in the 18th century and ends in the 21st century with the most recent trends in internationalization theories. This schematic and integrative analysis aims to support the academic community in their research on business internationalization.

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Why is it important?

This article shows an integrative perspective of the literature on the theories of the internationalization of the firms, covering their focus and basic assumptions, as well as showing their historical timeline.

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