Challenges for internationalization models : the case of e-commerce ventures' informal internationalization

This paper investigates if internationalization models can be applied to American e-commerce ventures. Empirical results show that e-commerce ventures do not follow internationalization models, in which companies either focus on their national market before expanding to other markets or aim for an early internationalization. Many e-commerce ventures start with informal exports and then either formalize these sales channels, either focus only on the US market. The probability of informal exports declines when firm size increases. These results challenge internationalization models and call for a revision of them to include informal exports.

Department dc:contributor.department

Sloan School of Management.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• François, Sébastien (Sébastien Emmanuel)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Scott Stern.

• Sloan School of Management.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/72871

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/72871