Variety in International New Ventures–Typological Analysis and Beyond

Abstract

SUMMARY Different from the earlier research with its tendency towards a rather homogenous view on International New Ventures (INVs), the contribution of this study is the identification and understanding of the possible variety among INVs. The study aims at exploring the following: (1) Are INVs different from one another in terms of their international development? and (2) If they are, how and why are the differences manifested in these firms? The pioneering INV-framework by Oviatt and McDougall (1994) is applied, accompanied by a long-term perspective on their development and inclusion of several factors as possible agents of the differences. Based on the analysis of eight INVs, the results highlight the importance of the founding conditions, the internationalization motives and the international experience of the founding managers on the INV's development in the early phase. Both initial and subsequent development of the INVs varied with regard to geographical breadth and type of operations abroad, and ...