Adaptive resourcing by born global firms: The relevance of national context

Purpose

The present paper explores patterns and differences in resource acquisition and resource use in born global [BG] international entrepreneurial firms based in countries that contrast in their level of economic development. A comparative qualitative study identifies nationally distinctive configurations of external resource provision for internationalization and ways in which BG managers adapt their internationalization strategies to those contexts. The study shows that the domestic national context is an important differentiating factor for the availability of resources to assist the firms’ internationalization. It provides theoretical insights into the resource implications of national context and how it influences the strategic choices available to internationalizing entrepreneurial firms

Design/methodology/approach

We report a qualitative investigation into how thirty-six BGs operating in the biotech and software development sectors and located across three countries with different levels of economic development, addressed the resource needs of internationalization.

Findings

The firms exhibited contrasting patterns of resource management that reflect their specific contexts. These illuminate the contextual boundedness of IEF internationalization.

Originality

Our findings highlight the phenomenon of "resourcing in context" which requires a development of the conventional resource-based view of the firm. They show that international entrepreneurial firms are driven not only by opportunity recognition, but also by adaptive resourcing in response to the possibilities offered by their domestic contexts.