De‐internationalization: An organizational institutionalism perspective

Abstract

Few studies have focused on de‐internationalization. In this study, partial and full de‐internationalization are considered as export responses in the context of firms in a highly opaque field that were pursuant to a policy that would not serve their intended goals. With intellectual property rights (IPRs) serving as a coercive policy defining the domain of inquiry and compliance as the driver for firm responses, the institutional logic of national interest, firm orientation (interests, decisions), firm maneuvering (intentional‐reactive, involuntary‐proactive), and firm response (partial and full de‐internationalization) was unpacked alongside associated institutional complexities through the lens of organizational institutionalism. Noteworthily, the organizational institutionalism theory of de‐internationalization suggests that (1) partial de‐internationalization characterized by intentional‐reactive maneuvering across three variants of means‐ends decoupling involving balancing, pacifying, and bargaining, and (2) full de‐internationalization involving involuntary‐proactive maneuvering in exiting or withdrawing from the international market may occur in response to (3) institutional constraints such as IPRs in favor of national interest. Thus, this study sheds light on the asymmetry between institutional logic and institutional complexity and the firm responses to such institutional arrangements, thereby delineating the manner in which the aforementioned concepts could relate to each other to enrich our understanding of de‐internationalization in international business.

Entrepreneurship: Definitions, opportunities, challenges, and future directions

“…It is a popular area of entrepreneurship study that combines looking into pedagogy with information acquisition techniques. Increasingly there has been more emphasis in society in general on entrepreneurship education due to its impact on regional and international development levels (Mandrinos and Lim, 2023). Emerging economy entrepreneurship focuses on analyzing entrepreneurship in economic environments that are growing.…”

Critique and change: The “what”, “why”, “how”, and “so what”

“…Finally, using a conceptual methodology underpinned by the institutional theory perspectives of organizational institutionalism and institutional economics, Mandrinos and Lim (2023) propose an organizational institutionalism theory of de‐internationalization, which extends the general theory of de‐internationalization (Lim & Mandrinos, 2023) and tackles the emerging but less understood issue of de‐internationalization (Lim & Mandrinos, 2020; Mandrinos et al., 2022) by theorizing the influence of the institutional environment (institutional constraint, institutional logic, institutional complexity) in shaping compliance and orientation of de‐internationalization (maneuvering, response) among firms engaged in international business.…”

Evaluating the Brexit and COVID-19’s influence on the UK economy: A data analysis

“…However, they often associate it with voluntariness rather than a strategic response to changes in the global business environment. The lack of transparency in formal policies and their impact creates a growing risk for international business [ 13 ]. This risk manifests not only through partial de-internationalization, such as decoupling, but also through complete withdrawal and exit from the international market.…”