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This paper aims to investigate the internationalisation inducement in family firms with domestic capital operating in a specific industry in a transition country. Examining the effect of entrepreneur-, firm- and context- specific factors, it provides an insight into the start of internationalisation via exporting and its initiating features.

The study uses a qualitative research approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews from informants with conclusive decision-making power and analysed using a combination of inductive and deductive coding.

The findings show that the sample firms internationalise early exhibiting mostly proactive behaviour in finding international clients. Owner-manager international orientation and commitment combined with contacts in his or her social spaces lead to early export inducement despite the fusion of ownership and control, and regardless of transition context volatility and inefficiency.

The limitations include the sample size and its industry embeddedness limiting generalisability. The key implications are that family firms need support to develop their social spaces through encouraging and enabling linkages between socio-economic actors that can expand the bounded sociality of the firm.

The owner-manager orientation, objectives, commitment and characteristics, coupled with the straightforward decision-making process that is safeguarded by full family ownership, can abate the dissuading role of the perceived lack of institutional support for small and medium-sized enterprise internationalisation in a transition context.

Drawing on an organizational learning perspective, this paper examines the effect of levels of foreign market involvement (intensity and geographic spread) on internationalization outcomes recognizing that the moderating influence of entry-mode learning potential is not well documented in the literature on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The sample includes 180 SMEs evenly selected from three industries: biotechnology, software and clothing (60 firms in each industry). The sampled firms employ less than 250 employees and are equally distributed between three developed economies and three emerging economies. All were engaged in foreign business.

The authors find that there is a direct relationship between levels of foreign market involvement and internationalization outcomes. Entry-mode learning potential moderates the relationship between intensity of foreign market involvement and internationalization outcomes but not the relationship between geographic spread and internationalization outcomes.

This study reveals several new insights that help explain the pathway through which foreign market involvement activities are translated into internationalization outcomes.

The authors conclude that the positive relationship between intensity of foreign market involvement and internationalization outcomes is strengthened when SMEs also use an entry mode with a higher learning potential than exporting only.

The authors revisit the literature on the use of expatriates and specifically Boyacigiller (1990) and examine whether OW Bunker, a Danish bunker oil trader, filled positions at its foreign units with traders transferred from its other units (expatriates). The authors test the generalizability and robustness of past findings on this topic by using a different dependent variable, sample, and methodology.

By searching the traders' LinkedIn profiles and consulting secondary sources, the authors obtain data on current and previous positions and work location and type of customer handled (global or local). Using qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), the authors analyze 236 hiring decisions made between 1983 and 2014.

The authors find that OW transferred expatriates, principally home-country nationals, to handle global customers in its large foreign subsidiaries located in high-income countries. In another clear pattern, expatriates were used to start new foreign subsidiaries. These results generally confirm those of Boyacigiller. However, and contrary to her findings, none of our scenarios for internal transfers feature expatriates being sent to culturally and institutionally distant subsidiaries unless it is to serve global customers, casting doubt on the idea that a major reason for using expatriates is to remedy a local shortage of skills or to handle political risk.

The authors test the generalizability of Boyacigiller’s (1990) findings and confirm a large part of it. They extend her study by demonstrating that MNEs deploy expatriates not only to distant countries but also to close ones.

Anchored on the broaden-and-build theory and the circumplex model, the authors develop and test a conceptual model in which satisfaction, influenced by an effective handling of communication, cooperation, conflict, and opportunism, is set as the predictor of inter-partner creativity in the relationship between hotels and their foreign travel agents under the Covid-19 pandemic.

The conceptual model was tested with data collected from 190 randomly selected hotel units located in Greece, using both online and drop-in questionnaire methods. Data were analyzed using SEM analysis.

Satisfaction with the working relationship was found to be enhanced by improving communication and cooperation, as well as by keeping conflict and opportunism at low levels. This was a strong predictor of inter-partner creativity, although less pronounced under high levels of relational distance and rigidity.

The study should be extended to other country settings, replicated at different levels of crisis severity, and use dyadic data. Additional environmental factors could be used as boundary conditions, while our model could be expanded to include additional drivers and consequences of inter-partner creativity.

To generate inter-partner creativity, there is a need to maintain high levels of satisfaction through proper communication, enhanced cooperation, conflict minimization, and avoidance of opportunistic actions. Also, to better translate satisfaction into inter-partner creativity, interacting parties should keep distance at low levels, while at the same time demonstrate greater flexibility.

The study unveils the role of effectively managing behavioral factors in inter-firm relationships to develop creative solutions to the Covid-19 crisis challenges, an issue neglected by prior research. The study also sheds light on the contingent effects of distance and rigidity, two important factors moderating relationships under crisis. The study applies for the first time two psychological-based theories, the broaden-and-build theory and the circumplex model, to an international marketing crisis situation.

This chapter critically evaluates opportunities and challenges associated with developing diversity and embracing inclusion of cyber security talent in a multinational consultancy firm and offers recommendations on how to optimize inclusion of young talent in this sensitive business area within a multinational company. Drawing on one of the author's experience as a young cyber security professional with a non-technical background, entering the profession through a consultancy graduate development programme, this paper offers a unique perspective on how to enhance cohesion in diversity across linear and non-linear routes into cyber security.

While the scope is limited to cyber security talent in early careers, the competency-based approach means that recommendations around developing diversity and embracing inclusion can be applied to young talent in other business competence areas. Each recommendation can be used as a building block to influence and shape future equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) strategy in consultancy.

This chapter explores the role of diversity in the emergence of circular business models by focusing on circular economy innovative born-global start-ups. Diversity refers to a wide range of characteristics that differentiate an individual or group. These include legally protected and/or demographic characteristics, such as age, as well as identity-shaping characteristics, such as cognitive traits and experience. Diversity in organizations has been mostly explored in terms of the former, i.e., culture, age or ethnicity as a key factor in organizational innovation and enhanced performance. This chapter offers a more holistic view on the role of diversity in relation to emerging circular business models. It shows how diversity of previous knowledge, experience, ethnicity and the shared ideation of the organization's founders can be used as compatible and complementary inputs, which can lead to the emergence of a global circular business model by using integration, coordination and fast scaling up. The analysis is on the level of firm micro-foundations. Using data from three circular born-global companies from a single country context, the study identifies different types of diversity as contributing to the emergence of these business model and their configuration. We conclude that circular born-global business models are nurtured by the shared ideation and values of the business model founders, while the design of the business model is enabled by the diversity of competences and capabilities stemming from the founders' knowledge, past experience and diaspora networks. Such a perspective suggests that managers need to adopt a holistic approach in employing diversity in business model configuration in relation to common drivers and ideation, and organizational purpose.

This article aims to analyse the strategies of international brewing companies in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) beer market and the development of national beer markets in the region since 1990.

The research is explorative, based on a broad variety of secondary data sources and company interviews.

The findings provide an insight into the approaches of foreign brewing companies operating in CEE markets. Despite some differences in the initial internationalisation motives, target market choice and market entry modes that reflected the strategic priorities of investing brewers, market‐seeking motives, strong brands, marketing intelligence, rapid aggressive internationalization and control over the operations have been the key success factors for Western brewers in CEE.

The secondary nature of the research information is a limitation for the validity of the study. Nevertheless, the triangulation of data sources using various secondary data, supported by in‐company interviews and authors' insights, has aimed at minimising the research bias.

Considering the growth and consolidation in the brewing industry world‐wide, brewers in CEE should focus on further mergers and acquisitions, product diversification/upgrading and brand innovation.

This paper represents an original attempt to assess the trends in the development of the brewing industry in CEE post‐1990. It reflects the impact of international interest on the CEE brewing companies and raises some concerns associated with the preservation of the brewing heritage in the region.

The aim of the paper is to present an overview and an assessment of the challenges and opportunities for businesses that emerge from the greater diversity and complexity in doing marketing in the expanding EU.

The paper examines how marketing issues have emerged, progressed and diversified with the process of EU enlargement.

The paper argues that marketers' perceptions of marketing in the EU have changed with the market expansion of companies in the new EU accession states. From first being seen externally as a protectionist fortress, marketing in the EU has emerged internally at least as a protector of diversity across its current member states.

The paper is a reflection on the changing nature of marketing and the new priorities of companies in their marketing strategies and tactics in the largest single regional integration bloc in the world.

This paper is a general review contextualising the current debate on ethics and international marketing. The aim of the paper is to present an overview of historical and current trends as a background for this special issue edition of International Marketing Review focusing on international marketing ethics.

The paper examines how ethics in international marketing have evolved and progressed towards the current “ethics era” and presents discussion surrounding the role and value of an ethical approach towards marketing in a global marketplace.

Essentially the paper argues that marketers should creatively embrace the complex challenges of the international marketplace by rethinking their approach to marketing ethics.

Gives an overview of the special issue.