No abstract

This study aimed to evaluate how internationalization has contributed to the general financial performance of Brazilian companies and to the performance of their international operations. Through a survey applied in 2006 to 51 companies with Brazilian ownership structure, from different industries, this research allowed us to reflect about the shape of the relationship between degree of internationalization (DOI) and financial performance of Brazilian companies. The results suggested, at a 5% significance level, that the general financial performance of the Brazilian multinationals is associated with their DOI. The groups of companies with lower DOI and higher DOI in the dimension of percentage of foreign assets presented better general financial performances than the group of companies that hold an intermediary level at this DOI dimension. When analyzing the relationship between DOI (measured by intervals of the percentage of foreign employees) and financial performance of the companies' international operations, non-parametric tests indicated a U-shaped curve at a 5% significance level. This curve shape suggests an initially negative effect of international expansion on performance, before the positive returns of international expansion are realized, and contrasts with the Sshaped curve identified in recent studies about the subject. Simple and multiple regression models developed in this study also revealed the association between DOI and financial performance of the companies. Among the variables used to measure the DOI, the following emerged as relevant to explain the financial performance in one or more regression models: the percentage of foreign employees, the percentage of foreign assets, the presence in more than three geographical regions of the world and the listing on stock exchanges. It was also observed the relevance of the companies' sector as a moderating variable of the DOI-financial performance relationship, since companies from sectors of intense manufacturing on raw materials presented higher EBITDA margins than the others. One implication of this research is that Brazilian companies should not be discouraged by negative effects of internationalization on their financial performances in the initial stages of their internationalization process. As the results suggest, after acquiring knowledge and new competences to operate abroad, the company will achieve benefits that, eventually, will overcome the internationalization costs, leading to a positive impact on the financial performance.

This paper examines the relationship between the financial performance of a company's international operations and the degree of its internationalization in a sample of 73 Brazilian companies. On one hand, the results revealed that companies with a higher performance of their international operations in relation to their domestic operations are less internationalized in revenues, assets, employees, geographic dispersion of markets and value chain activities than their more internationalized counterparts. On the other hand, the analyses showed that more internationalized companies have a greater perception of experiencing the following internationalization benefits: "ability to respond quickly and appropriately to international customers," "strengthening of the competitive position," "geographic diversification and less dependence on the domestic market," "effect of demonstration in the country of origin," and "greater stability in the financial and economic results". authors Esta comunicação examina a relação entre o desempenho financeiro das operações internacionais de uma companhia e o grau da sua internacionalização numa amostra de 73 companhias brasileiras. Por um lado, os resultados revelaram que as companhias com maior desempenho nas suas operações internacionais relativamente às suas operações domésticas são menos internacionalizadas nas receitas, activos, empregados, dispersão geográfica de mercados e actividades de cadeia de valor que as suas homólogas mais internacionalizadas. Por outro lado, as análises mostraram que as companhias mais internacionalizadas têm uma maior percepção de experimentarem os seguintes benefícios da internacionalização: «capacidade para responderem rápida e apropriadamente aos clientes internacionais», «fortalecimento da posição competitiva», «diversificação geográfica e menor dependência do mercado interno», «efeito de demonstração no país de origem» e «maior estabilidade nos resultados financeiros e económicos».

No abstract

PurposeIt has been argued in the international business literature that companies begin their internationalization trajectories by entering countries that are geographically and psychically closest to the country in which their home market is located before entering more distant ones. This paper aims to verify whether this assertion is correct for Brazilian companies. If it is correct, the companies would be expected to begin their international expansion in countries within the Latin America region. Not only is this region closest in geographical distance, but also it is most similar to Brazil in many other important dimensions.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is an exploratory and quantitative research undertaken with a sample of 109 national capital companies selected from the 1,000 largest Brazilian companies in 2001 net revenues.FindingsEmpirical findings indicate that countries in Latin America have been most frequently chosen by Brazilian companies for their first expansions into international markets. Nevertheless, some companies choose divergent trajectories, initially entering markets that are geographically and psychically more distant. Those companies enjoyed structural features of certain sectors (commodities or global sectors), in which the importance of psychic distance is smaller in the face of economic transactions.Research limitations/implicationsAn important limitation of this paper is the impossibility to test the hypotheses in specific countries or markets. The authors are forced to analyze the psychic distance effect among regions, with the risk of not accounting for important intra‐regional differences.Originality/valueThe data presented in this paper have clarified some patterns and trajectories of Brazilian companies in international markets.