IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/intman/v21y2015i2p83-99.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The relationship between product and geographic diversification: A fine-grained analysis of its different patterns

Author

Listed:
  • Ref, Ohad

Abstract

This study seeks a richer and more complete understanding of the process of firm growth by making a more fine-grained distinction between (1) the different patterns of product and geographic diversification, particularly between entering new product and geographic markets compared to expansion in existing noncore product and foreign markets; and (2) between firms with different diversification experience, specifically between single-country single-industry firms, single-industry geographically-diversified firms, single-country product-diversified firms, and product- and geographically-diversified firms. It shows that short-run constraints compel firms to choose between entering new product markets and new geographic markets, within a given time period, and that prior experience in entering new markets lessens the impact of short-run constraints on firm capacity to simultaneously extend product and geographic scope. Furthermore, it reveals that there is a significant difference between firm capacity to enter simultaneously into new product and geographic markets, compared to firm capacity to expand simultaneously within existing noncore product and foreign markets. Thus, it demonstrates the main argument of this paper concerning the importance of distinguishing between the different patterns of product and geographic diversification.

Suggested Citation

  • Ref, Ohad, 2015. "The relationship between product and geographic diversification: A fine-grained analysis of its different patterns," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 83-99.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:intman:v:21:y:2015:i:2:p:83-99
    DOI: 10.1016/j.intman.2015.02.002
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1075425315000113
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.intman.2015.02.002?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. David J. Denis & Diane K. Denis & Keven Yost, 2002. "Global Diversification, Industrial Diversification, and Firm Value," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 57(5), pages 1951-1979, October.
    2. Ambos, Björn & Håkanson, Lars, 2014. "The Concept of Distance in International Management Research," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 1-7.
    3. Jan Johanson & Jan-Erik Vahlne, 1977. "The Internationalization Process of the Firm—A Model of Knowledge Development and Increasing Foreign Market Commitments," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 8(1), pages 23-32, March.
    4. Morck, Randall & Yeung, Bernard, 1991. "Why Investors Value Multinationality," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 64(2), pages 165-187, April.
    5. R. D. Pearce, 1993. "The Growth and Evolution of Multinational Enterprise," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 353.
    6. Hutzschenreuter, Thomas & Kleindienst, Ingo & Lange, Sandra, 2014. "Added Psychic Distance Stimuli and MNE Performance," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 38-54.
    7. Daniel A. Levinthal & Brian Wu, 2010. "Opportunity costs and non‐scale free capabilities: profit maximization, corporate scope, and profit margins," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7), pages 780-801, July.
    8. Yuri Mishina & Timothy G. Pollock & Joseph F. Porac, 2004. "Are more resources always better for growth? Resource stickiness in market and product expansion," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(12), pages 1179-1197, December.
    9. Davies, Stephen W. & Rondi, Laura & Sembenelli, Alessandro, 2001. "Are multinationality and diversification complementary or substitute strategies?: An empirical analysis on European leading firms," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 19(8), pages 1315-1346, September.
    10. David J. Teece, 2003. "Towards an Economic Theory of the Multiproduct Firm," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Essays In Technology Management And Policy Selected Papers of David J Teece, chapter 15, pages 419-446, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    11. Slangen, Arjen & Hennart, Jean-François, 2007. "Greenfield or acquisition entry: A review of the empirical foreign establishment mode literature," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 403-429, December.
    12. Slater, Martin, 1980. "The Managerial Limitation to the Growth of Firms," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 90(3593), pages 520-528, September.
    13. Hashai, Niron & Delios, Andrew, 2012. "Balancing growth across geographic diversification and product diversification: A contingency approach," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(6), pages 1052-1064.
    14. Michael C. J. Mayer & Christian Stadler & Julia Hautz, 2015. "The relationship between product and international diversification: The role of experience," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(10), pages 1458-1468, October.
    15. Kent Eriksson & Jan Johanson & Anders Majkgård & D Deo Sharma, 1997. "Experimental Knowledge and Costs in the Internationalization Process," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 28(2), pages 337-360, June.
    16. Wolf, Bernard M, 1977. "Industrial Diversification and Internationalization: Some Empirical Evidence," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(2), pages 177-191, December.
    17. repec:fth:michin:282 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Niron Hashai, 2011. "Sequencing the expansion of geographic scope and foreign operations by “born global” firms," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(8), pages 995-1015, October.
    19. William H Davidson, 1984. "Administrative Orientation and International Performance," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 15(2), pages 11-23, June.
    20. Heather Berry & Mauro F Guillén & Nan Zhou, 2010. "An institutional approach to cross-national distance," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 41(9), pages 1460-1480, December.
    21. Hutzschenreuter, Thomas & Horstkotte, Julian, 2013. "Managerial services and complexity in a firm’s expansion process: An empirical study of the impact on the growth of the firm," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 31(2), pages 137-151.
    22. Andrew Delios & Paul W. Beamish, 1999. "Geographic scope, product diversification, and the corporate performance of Japanese firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(8), pages 711-727, August.
    23. Jiang, Guoliang F. & Holburn, Guy L.F. & Beamish, Paul W., 2014. "The Impact of Vicarious Experience on Foreign Location Strategy," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 345-358.
    24. Sea‐Jin Chang & Philip M. Rosenzweig, 2001. "The choice of entry mode in sequential foreign direct investment," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(8), pages 747-776, August.
    25. Thomas Hutzschenreuter & Johannes C Voll, 2008. "Performance effects of “added cultural distance” in the path of international expansion: the case of German multinational enterprises," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 39(1), pages 53-70, January.
    26. Teece, David J., 1980. "Economies of scope and the scope of the enterprise," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 1(3), pages 223-247, September.
    27. Cynthia A. Montgomery, 1994. "Corporate Diversificaton," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 8(3), pages 163-178, Summer.
    28. Brian S. Silverman, 1999. "Technological Resources and the Direction of Corporate Diversification: Toward an Integration of the Resource-Based View and Transaction Cost Economics," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 45(8), pages 1109-1124, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Meschi, Pierre-Xavier & Ricard, Antonin & Tapia Moore, Ernesto, 2017. "Fast and Furious or Slow and Cautious? The Joint Impact of Age at Internationalization, Speed, and Risk Diversity on the Survival of Exporting Firms," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 279-291.
    2. Garrido-Prada, Pablo & Delgado-Rodriguez, Maria Jesús & Romero-Jordán, Desiderio, 2019. "Effect of product and geographic diversification on company performance: Evidence during an economic crisis," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 269-286.
    3. Ref, Ohad & Feldman, Naomi E. & Iyer, Dinesh N & Shapira, Zur, 2021. "Entry into new foreign markets: Performance feedback and opportunity costs," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 56(6).
    4. Chen, Chung-Jen & Ruey-Shan Guo, & Wang, Shan-Huei & Lin, Ya-Hui, 2022. "Power distance diversification, ownership structure, and business group performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 70-85.
    5. Ohad Ref & Zur Shapira, 2017. "Entering new markets: The effect of performance feedback near aspiration and well below and above it," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(7), pages 1416-1434, July.
    6. Thomas Hutzschenreuter & Tanja Matt, 2017. "MNE internationalization patterns, the roles of knowledge stocks, and the portfolio of MNE subsidiaries," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 48(9), pages 1131-1150, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Danchi Tan & Weichieh Su & Joseph T. Mahoney & Yasemin Kor, 2020. "A review of research on the growth of multinational enterprises: A Penrosean lens," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(4), pages 498-537, June.
    2. Hashai, Niron & Delios, Andrew, 2012. "Balancing growth across geographic diversification and product diversification: A contingency approach," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(6), pages 1052-1064.
    3. Ohad Ref & Zur Shapira, 2017. "Entering new markets: The effect of performance feedback near aspiration and well below and above it," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(7), pages 1416-1434, July.
    4. Piaskowska, D., 2005. "Essays on firm growth and value creation," Other publications TiSEM 89053610-79c6-4c52-9d1c-6, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    5. Hutzschenreuter, Thomas & Horstkotte, Julian, 2013. "Performance effects of international expansion processes: The moderating role of top management team experiences," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 259-277.
    6. Bowen, Harry P. & Baker, H. Kent & Powell, Gary E., 2015. "Globalization and diversification strategy: A managerial perspective," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 25-39.
    7. Asmussen, Christian Geisler & Hashai, Niron & Delios, Andrew, 2022. "The coevolution of international scope and technological knowledge in MNCs," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 57(1).
    8. Garrido-Prada, Pablo & Delgado-Rodriguez, Maria Jesús & Romero-Jordán, Desiderio, 2019. "Effect of product and geographic diversification on company performance: Evidence during an economic crisis," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 269-286.
    9. Hutzschenreuter, Thomas & Harhoff, Philippa-Luisa, 2021. "The accelerating effect of institutional environment unfamiliarity on subsidiary portfolio expansion in a new host country," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(3).
    10. Chen, Chiung-Jung & Yu, Chwo-Ming Joseph, 2012. "Managerial ownership, diversification, and firm performance: Evidence from an emerging market," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 518-534.
    11. Guerras-Martín, Luis Ángel & Ronda-Pupo, Guillermo Armando & Zúñiga-Vicente, José Ángel & Benito-Osorio, Diana, 2020. "Half a century of research on corporate diversification: A new comprehensive framework," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 124-141.
    12. Hendrik Klier & Christian Schwens & Florian B. Zapkau & Desislava Dikova, 2017. "Which Resources Matter How and Where? A Meta-Analysis on Firms’ Foreign Establishment Mode Choice," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(3), pages 304-339, May.
    13. Hutzschenreuter, Thomas & Kleindienst, Ingo & Lange, Sandra, 2014. "Added Psychic Distance Stimuli and MNE Performance," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 38-54.
    14. Miller, Stewart R. & Lavie, Dovev & Delios, Andrew, 2016. "International intensity, diversity, and distance: Unpacking the internationalization–performance relationship," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(4), pages 907-920.
    15. García-García, Raquel & García-Canal, Esteban & Guillén, Mauro F., 2017. "Rapid internationalization and long-term performance: The knowledge link," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 97-110.
    16. Drori, Netanel & Hashai, Niron & Clougherty, Joseph A., 2023. "Fire and ice: The incompatible impact of industry-wide domestic patents and international standards on firm internationalization," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(5).
    17. Hoskins, Jake D. & Carson, Stephen J., 2022. "Industry conditions, market share, and the firm’s ability to derive business-line profitability from diverse technological portfolios," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 178-192.
    18. Elif AKBEN SELCUK, 2014. "Corporate Diversification, Group Affiliation and Firm Value: Evidence From Turkey," Journal of BRSA Banking and Financial Markets, Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency, vol. 8(2), pages 151-174.
    19. Głodowska Agnieszka & Pera Bożena & Wach Krzysztof, 2019. "International Strategy as the Facilitator of the Speed, Scope, and Scale of Firms’ Internationalization," Journal of Management and Business Administration. Central Europe, Sciendo, vol. 27(3), pages 55-84, September.
    20. Kotler, Philip & Manrai, Lalita A. & Lascu, Dana-Nicoleta & Manrai, Ajay K., 2019. "Influence of country and company characteristics on international business decisions: A review, conceptual model, and propositions," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 482-498.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:intman:v:21:y:2015:i:2:p:83-99. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/601266/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.