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Understanding how and why firms behave differently during re-internationalization has increasingly been at a premium in international business research. The authors conducted a case study of 11 Chinese international small and medium-sized enterprise and explored how they learned and recovered from involuntary de-internationalization. From case data, the “complete” re-internationalizers learned the lessons of foreign market exits more proactively than “partial” re-internationalizers. The complete re-internationalizers adopted internal and external sources of knowledge acquisition, “middle-up-down” information distribution and ambivalent information interpretation, while the partial re-internationalizers relied on internal sources of knowledge, “top-down” or “bottom-up” information distribution and univalent information interpretation. This study contributes by identifying the crucial role of learning processes to complete re-internationalization, which is absent in existing re-internationalization research.

This paper aims at extending the debate on family firm internationalization by identifying cycles and waves of their internationalization processes with a specific focus on de-internationalization and re-internationalization.

Building on the Uppsala model and the resource-based view, this study analyzes the cycles and waves of internationalization of 26 German family firms in the Chinese market. Semi-structured interviews with top managers of the selected case firms were conducted, and secondary sources were used to triangulate the collected data.

The findings highlight the heterogeneity of family firm internationalization processes. Indeed, some family firms follow the sequential approach of the Uppsala model, while others choose to de-internationalize and then re-internationalize their activities. Their cycles and waves of internationalization can be explained by internal and external triggers.

This article contributes to the family firm internationalization literature by investigating how family firm characteristics and environmental factors shape internationalization, de-internationalization and re-internationalization paths. The novel findings enrich theoretical assumptions on family firm internationalization and highlight their varying internationalization processes, which can be explained by firm-specific characteristics, notably their unique family resources and socioemotional wealth, and contextual factors.

This study aims to obtain insights based on empirical evidence that identify the key drivers and obstacles that lead companies to (re)/enter markets and distinguish the different paths SMEs take. This also provides deeper insights into internationalisation, success, failure and the potential for the re-internationalisation of the SMEs.

The authors used a qualitative research methodology based on six case studies and with recourse to semi-structured interviews with the senior managers of exporting SMEs.

The results report that SMEs with major investments deployed in their internationalisation processes, through recourse to high levels of bank financing, in association with the COVID-19 pandemic period, were not able to successfully overcome the process of internationalisation and culminating in their own bankruptcies.

This study shows how, despite such failures, the attractiveness and reputation of the brand, supported by the strategic vision and perseverance of new investors (entrepreneurs), enabled the rebirth of the brands and opening the door to their re-entering international markets.

Este estudio pretende obtener perspectivas basadas en pruebas empíricas que identifiquen los motores y obstáculos clave que llevan a las empresas a (re)/entrar en los mercados y distinguir los distintos caminos que siguen las PYME. Asimismo, se profundiza en la internacionalización, el éxito, el fracaso y el potencial de reinternacionalización de las PYME.

Los autores utilizaron una metodología de investigación cualitativa basada en seis estudios de casos y con recurso a entrevistas semiestructuradas con altos directivos de PYME exportadoras.

Los resultados informan de que PYMEs con grandes inversiones desplegadas en sus procesos de internacionalización, a través del recurso a altos niveles de financiación bancaria, en asociación con el periodo de pandemia COVID-19, no fueron capaces de superar con éxito el proceso de internacionalización y culminaron en sus propias quiebras.

Este estudio muestra cómo, a pesar de tales fracasos, el atractivo y la reputación de la marca, apoyados por la visión estratégica y la perseverancia de los nuevos inversores (empresarios), permitieron el renacimiento de las marcas y abrieron la puerta a su reentrada en los mercados internacionales.

Este estudo procura obter insights com base em evidências empíricas que identifiquem os principais drivers e obstáculos que levam as empresas a (re)/entrar nos mercados e distinguir os diferentes caminhos percorridos pelas PME . Isso também fornece insights mais profundos sobre internacionalização, sucesso, fracasso e o potencial para a re-internacionalização das PMEs.

Os autores utilizaram uma metodologia de investigação qualitativa baseada em seis estudos de caso e com recurso a entrevistas semiestruturadas a quadros superiores de PME exportadoras.

Os resultados dão conta de que as PME com grandes investimentos efetuados nos seus processos de internacionalização, através do recurso a elevados níveis de financiamento bancário, em associação com o período de pandemia COVID-19, não conseguiram ultrapassar com sucesso o processo de internacionalização e culminando na sua própria falências.

Este estudo mostra como, apesar de tais falhas, a atratividade e a reputação da marca, apoiadas na visão estratégica e na perseverança de novos investidores (empreendedores), permitiram o renascimento das marcas e abriram as portas à sua reentrada nos mercados internacionais.

This study aims to systematize and analyze the internationalization of companies in an attempt to identify the main themes explored in the literature – What does the current state of the art tell us about the stimuli and barriers, failures and resilience in the internationalization of companies is what the authors set out to answer with this research.

This study offers a systematic review based on the bibliometric mapping techniques of 218 articles collected from the Web of Science database between 1996 and 2021.

Furthermore, contributing to literature by the logic of stimuli, barriers failure in internationalization companies. The main conclusion is that, from the analysis, the authors can see that the scientific production in this field of knowledge has intensified in recent years, but the centrality and the search density undergo major changes.

The main research contributions enable a better understanding of the involvement of failure and resilience in companies re-internationalization and suggestions for future studies in this field.

Current conceptualizations of born‐globals lack a full theoretical explanation of strategic re‐structuring through the use of outward and inward‐oriented activity and the processes of de‐internationalization and re‐internationalization. Strategy and internationalization processes are created by entrepreneurial behaviour. If one wants to understand various international behaviours and strategic changes in firms one needs to focus on entrepreneurs – individual managers. The purpose of this paper is to unify the theoretical framework on born‐globals by addressing two questions. How do managers move through the de‐internationalization (exit) to re‐internationalization (re‐entry) process? How do they choose their patterns of internationalization?

To address these research gaps, this study draws on 26 in‐depth interviews with senior managers across nine Australian born‐globals.

Moving between outward and inward‐oriented activity as they de‐internationalize and re‐internationalize is used as proactive strategic re‐structuring by born‐global managers for survival during periods of global economic decline or changing competitive conditions.

This study provides new theoretical insights where the entrepreneur is central to the internationalization process and provides practical implications for those involved in international business and marketing.

This study investigates how firms’ awareness of sustainability affects the revision of their internationalization strategy. Adopting a resource-based view (RBV) approach, the authors argue that sustainable-oriented firms have a higher propensity to de-internationalize (i.e., to go back to their home country) when confronted with the need to relocate foreign manufacturing subsidiaries, as the shortening of value chains would allow the reduction of transportation emissions and enhanced corporate image as green-oriented entities. Furthermore, the authors explore the role exerted by a stringent regulatory setting in the home country on the likelihood of de-internationalization. The empirical test conducted on a sample of relocations performed across European nations in 2002–2014 reveals that multinational enterprises (MNEs) – regardless of their sustainability orientation – have a higher probability to de-internationalize when their home countries have strict institutional contexts in place.

International business (IB) research has mostly concentrated on two forms of internationalization: the gradual/step-by-step approach, and the “international new venture”/“born global” approach. The existence of nonlinearity – substantial “jumps” in international intensity – has received relatively modest attention. This paper addressed nonlinear internationalization processes: partial and complete de- and re-internationalization and the internationalization of born-again globals and born-again internationals. It concludes that nonlinear internationalization is neither an irregular deviation nor an exceptional case of linear internationalization but that linear internationalization is an exceptional case of nonlinear internationalization.

Banking and finance during the past several decades have become “re‐internationalized,” not simply “internationalized.” This becomes clear when we compare the institutional features of banking and finance today with those in the early part of this century, the last period in which both had a substantial international dimension. It is further apparent in historical data that are analyzed in the paper: cross‐country spreads between real interest rates over the long period 1835 to 1990, and figures for gross foreign assets available for a number of major countries at key points in time from 1885 to 1994. The paper concludes by discussing the factors responsible for the changes that have occurred in banking and finance during the past several decades.

The purpose of this paper is to provide details of the communist and socialist past to inform the debate on redesigning tourism in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries as impacted by the transition and accelerated by European Union (EU) membership.

The issues from two sides are addressed: academic and practical. Based on a literature review, the authors propose a model of five main research topics that represent the main areas of change and conceptualise the general EU accession research debate on tourism. Content analysis is conducted on each of the revealed main research topics that are presented and discussed from the standpoint of tourism-relevant socialist and communist stature and image. On the other hand, this paper engages with reality as it surveys real-life practices in tourism development and business operation based on the personal experience of the researcher regarding the social situation under consideration.

The findings concerning the revealed main areas of tourism change in CEE countries following EU accession refer to the: change from communism towards a new image (Europeanisation and re-imaging), change from communism to capitalism (transformation and marketisation), change from old communist tourism products to new products (rejuvenation, diversification), change from communist towards sustainability values (sustainability) and change from tourism inside the communist block to international tourism (re-internationalisation) The discussion indicates how each area of change relates to socialist and communist content and its tourism relevance and the potential for tourism development, policy and business.

The list of relevant works is not exhaustive as only tourism-focussed quality journals are surveyed in order to define the main areas of change.

A very relevant source of information and impartial advice for tourism developers and policymakers in ex-socialist and communist countries is provided regarding tourism development at the strategic and managerial levels.

This paper fills an identified information/resource gap concerning the potential and contribution of communist and socialist heritage to tourism development and business, and places this in the context of the changes CEE countries have made in order to stay and/or become tourism destinations. It introduces a new term “tourism redesign” which explains the transition in tourism development, policy and management through different areas of change.