Non‐linear internationalization processes in Portugal: Evidence across retail, construction and software development industries

Abstract

The rising number of Portuguese companies with international operations and growing sectoral diversification has been contributing to the recent international expansion of the Portuguese economy. It is important to introduce nuances in these recent developments, as the proportion of international firms and international expansion capabilities are still low. This article presents the results of a research project carried out between 2015 and 2018 focused on studying firm internationalization logics observable in Portugal, in three contributing sectorsretail, construction and information and communications technology (ICT) software development. The results present domestic markets as having a diffluent role, opportunistic client-or partnerfollowing being adopted as dominant expansion logics, and indicate that internationalization processes are valued for their portability and reversibility. Room exists for de-and re-internationalization, resource commitment shifts and non-linear logics, an expression of managerial attempts to leverage resource constraints and exposure to risk and market uncertainty. Sectoral diversification and the deployment of more flexible organizational modes in internationalizing companies or company groups in Portugal are suggested as relevant and feasible paths to follow, given the different modal forms currently available for most companies to expand.

Violated contracts, inadequate career support, but still forgiveness: Key organizational factors that determine championing behaviors

“…By investigating one organization in one specific industry, we decreased the risk of unobserved differences, in terms of how external competitive conditions or organization‐level factors that are not included in our conceptual framework might influence employees' motivation to champion innovative ideas (Dayan & Di Benedetto, 2011; Perry‐Smith & Mannucci, 2017). The construction retail sector in Portugal is characterized by intense competition; a lot of foreign and local companies fight for market share (Biscaia et al, 2017; Coelho, 2022; Pestana Barros & Alves, 2003). Companies in this sector accordingly can benefit greatly from novel ideas for organizational improvement, creating a highly relevant empirical setting for addressing questions about why and when the experience of organizational betrayal may interfere with employees' beneficial championing behaviors.…”