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The internationalization journey of a high‐tech cluster
Author(s) -
Reid David McHardy,
DeMartino Richard,
Zyglidopoulos Stelios C.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
thunderbird international business review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.553
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1520-6874
pISSN - 1096-4762
DOI - 10.1002/tie.20066
Subject(s) - internationalization , competitor analysis , sample (material) , cluster (spacecraft) , business , vulnerability (computing) , grounded theory , marketing , salient , externality , industrial organization , economic geography , sociology , economics , political science , qualitative research , international trade , microeconomics , social science , chemistry , computer security , chromatography , computer science , law , programming language
We examine the internationalization processes of a sample of photonics companies, using in‐depth interviews conducted with twenty‐two CEOs. The texts of these interviews were appraised by using content analysis, combined with a grounded theory approach. In this way, the internationalization theory was critiqued and some insights developed into the international strategy process. Some salient findings emerged, such as that cluster externalities had a positive impact on the internationalization of firms within the cluster, and the degree of strategic vulnerability that cluster firms faced from developing‐country competitors. These findings are discussed in relation to their research and managerial implications. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.