Internationalization Behavior of Biotech Firms Producing a COVID-19 Vaccine

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to explore the internationalization behavior of BioTech firms producing a COVID 19 vaccine using the Born Global internationalization model as a conceptual framework. The research methodology that has been considered in this study is a qualitative, multiple-case study to gain valuable insight about the internationalization behavior of BioTech firms producing a COVID 19 vaccine, and how and why these BioTech firms internationalize. Secondary data was collected via various websites, the BioTech firms’ official websites, through corporate documents, press releases, published articles, journals, and annual reports. The data analysis disclosed four themes to answer the research questions. The findings from the qualitative analysis, suggest that BioTech firms producing a COVID-19 vaccine use the combination of multiple market entry modes and expansion strategies to internationalize. The first limitation of this research is the sample size used in the multiple-case study. Secondly, although most of the information was from the websites of the firms in this paper, other sources were also used and that could raise the issue of quality and trustworthiness. There is a call for further research to explore the internationalization process, behaviour, and patterns of BioTech firms producing a COVID-19 vaccine using different methodologies, sample size, the industry, and firms from other continents to close the gap.