IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v10y2018i8p2893-d163853.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Executives’ Assessments of Evolutionary and Leapfrog Modes: An Ambidexterity Explanation Logic

Author

Listed:
  • Yu Xie

    (School of Management and Economics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China)

  • Yi-Fei Du

    (School of Management and Economics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China)

  • Francis Boadu

    (School of Management and Economics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China)

  • Xuan-Ya Shi

    (School of Management and Economics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China)

Abstract

Under the background of resource dependence, it is of great significance to study the emerging market multinationals’ (EMNEs) entry mode into international market. How do complementary assets and expansion opportunities in a host country market influence the EMNEs executive’s entry mode choice? We adopt policy capture method to designed questionnaire and administered to high-level EMNEs executives in China. The results show that the availability of complementary assets in the host country market have a positive influence on EMNEs executives’ evolutionary and leapfrog entry modes choice, and EMNEs executives’ preferences for leapfrog mode over evolutionary mode is positively related to the host country’s complementary assets. The expansion opportunities in the host country market have a positive influence on EMNEs executives’ evolutionary and leapfrog entry modes choice. This shows that expansion opportunities in the host country market have a similar degree of attraction for executives’ evolutionary and leapfrog modes. Unlike most current studies, which advocate that leapfrog is mainly used to obtain international assets, while evolutionary approach is more suitable for seeking international opportunities. This paper shows that the opportunity factors play the same important role as assets factors in promoting EMNEs executives’ springboard behavior. It also reveals the ambidexterity logic in EMNEs executives’ decision-making process.

Suggested Citation

  • Yu Xie & Yi-Fei Du & Francis Boadu & Xuan-Ya Shi, 2018. "Executives’ Assessments of Evolutionary and Leapfrog Modes: An Ambidexterity Explanation Logic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-16, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:8:p:2893-:d:163853
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/8/2893/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/8/2893/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mathews, John A. & Cho, Dong-Sung, 1999. "Combinative capabilities and organizational learning in latecomer firms: the case of the Korean semiconductor industry," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 139-156, July.
    2. Bonaglia, Federico & Goldstein, Andrea & Mathews, John A., 2007. "Accelerated internationalization by emerging markets' multinationals: The case of the white goods sector," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 42(4), pages 369-383, December.
    3. Tan, Hao & Mathews, John A., 2015. "Accelerated internationalization and resource leverage strategizing: The case of Chinese wind turbine manufacturers," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(3), pages 417-427.
    4. Hitt, Michael A. & Franklin, Victor & Zhu, Hong, 2006. "Culture, institutions and international strategy," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 12(2), pages 222-234, June.
    5. J Myles Shaver, 2013. "Do we really need more entry mode studies?," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 44(1), pages 23-27, January.
    6. Chetty, Sylvie & Johanson, Martin & Martín Martín, Oscar, 2014. "Speed of internationalization: Conceptualization, measurement and validation," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 49(4), pages 633-650.
    7. Kontinen, Tanja & Ojala, Arto, 2011. "Network ties in the international opportunity recognition of family SMEs," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(4), pages 440-453, August.
    8. Tony W. Tong & Jeffrey J. Reuer & Beverly B. Tyler & Shujun Zhang, 2015. "Host country executives' assessments of international joint ventures and divestitures: An experimental approach," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(2), pages 254-275, February.
    9. Jan Johanson & Jan-Erik Vahlne, 2009. "The Uppsala internationalization process model revisited: From liability of foreignness to liability of outsidership," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(9), pages 1411-1431, December.
    10. Ciravegna, Luciano & Lopez, Luis & Kundu, Sumit, 2014. "Country of origin and network effects on internationalization: A comparative study of SMEs from an emerging and developed economy," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(5), pages 916-923.
    11. Anderson, Simon P & Engers, Maxim, 1994. "Strategic Investment and Timing of Entry," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 35(4), pages 833-853, November.
    12. Reuer, Jeffrey J. & Tyler, Beverly B. & Tong, Tony W. & Wu, Cheng-Wei, 2012. "Executives' Assessments of International Joint Ventures in China: A Multi-Theoretical Investigation," Management and Organization Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 8(2), pages 311-340, July.
    13. Anderson, John & Sutherland, Dylan, 2015. "Entry mode and emerging market MNEs: An analysis of Chinese greenfield and acquisition FDI in the United States," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 88-103.
    14. Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra & Mehmet Genc, 2008. "Transforming disadvantages into advantages: developing-country MNEs in the least developed countries," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 39(6), pages 957-979, September.
    15. John H. Dunning & Matthew McQueen, 1981. "The eclectic theory of international production: A case study of the international hotel industry," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 2(4), pages 197-210, December.
    16. Jeffrey J. Reuer & Beverly B. Tyler & Tony W. Tong & Cheng-Wei Wu, 2012. "Executives' Assessments of International Joint Ventures in China: A Multi-Theoretical Investigation," Management and Organization Review, The International Association for Chinese Management Research, vol. 8(2), pages 311-340, July.
    17. Birger Maekelburger & Christian Schwens & Ruediger Kabst, 2012. "Asset specificity and foreign market entry mode choice of small and medium-sized enterprises: The moderating influence of knowledge safeguards and institutional safeguards," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 43(5), pages 458-476, June.
    18. Gammeltoft, Peter & Filatotchev, Igor & Hobdari, Bersant, 2012. "Emerging multinational companies and strategic fit: A contingency framework and future research agenda," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 175-188.
    19. Bandeira-de-Mello, Rodrigo & Fleury, Maria Tereza Leme & Aveline, Carlos Eduardo Stefaniak & Gama, Marina Amado Bahia, 2016. "Unpacking the ambidexterity implementation process in the internationalization of emerging market multinationals," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(6), pages 2005-2017.
    20. Yadong Luo & Rosalie L Tung, 2007. "International expansion of emerging market enterprises: A springboard perspective," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(4), pages 481-498, July.
    21. Yadong Luo & Rosalie L Tung, 2018. "A general theory of springboard MNEs," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(2), pages 129-152, February.
    22. Wu, Hang & Chen, Jin & Jiao, Hao, 2016. "Dynamic capabilities as a mediator linking international diversification and innovation performance of firms in an emerging economy," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(8), pages 2678-2686.
    23. Yasuhiro Yamakawa & Mike W. Peng & David L. Deeds, 2008. "What Drives New Ventures to Internationalize from Emerging to Developed Economies?," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 32(1), pages 59-82, January.
    24. Boso, Nathaniel & Story, Vicky M. & Cadogan, John W., 2013. "Entrepreneurial orientation, market orientation, network ties, and performance: Study of entrepreneurial firms in a developing economy," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 28(6), pages 708-727.
    25. 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.
    26. Keith D Brouthers, 2013. "A retrospective on: Institutional, cultural and transaction cost influences on entry mode choice and performance," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 44(1), pages 14-22, January.
    27. Keith D Brouthers, 2013. "Institutional, cultural and transaction cost influences on entry mode choice and performance," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 44(1), pages 1-13, January.
    28. Michael A. Hitt & David Ahlstrom & M. Tina Dacin & Edward Levitas & Lilia Svobodina, 2004. "The Institutional Effects on Strategic Alliance Partner Selection in Transition Economies: China vs. Russia," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 15(2), pages 173-185, April.
    29. Daphne W Yiu & ChungMing Lau & Garry D Bruton, 2007. "International venturing by emerging economy firms: the effects of firm capabilities, home country networks, and corporate entrepreneurship," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(4), pages 519-540, July.
    30. Lynch, Richard & Jin, Zhongqi, 2016. "Knowledge and innovation in emerging market multinationals: The expansion paradox," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(5), pages 1593-1597.
    31. Keith D Brouthers & Lance Eliot Brouthers, 2001. "Explaining the National Cultural Distance Paradox," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 32(1), pages 177-189, March.
    32. José C Casillas & Ana M Moreno-Menéndez, 2014. "Speed of the internationalization process: The role of diversity and depth in experiential learning," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 45(1), pages 85-101, January.
    33. Peter J Buckley & Mark C Casson, 2009. "The internalisation theory of the multinational enterprise: A review of the progress of a research agenda after 30 years," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(9), pages 1563-1580, December.
    34. John Child & Suzana B. Rodrigues, 2005. "The Internationalization of Chinese Firms: A Case for Theoretical Extension?," Management and Organization Review, International Association of Chinese Management Research, vol. 1(3), pages 381-410, November.
    35. Jiangyong Lu & Xiaohui Liu & Mike Wright & Igor Filatotchev, 2014. "International experience and FDI location choices of Chinese firms: The moderating effects of home country government support and host country institutions," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 45(4), pages 428-449, May.
    36. Hsu, Chia-Wen & Lien, Yung-Chih & Chen, Homin, 2013. "International ambidexterity and firm performance in small emerging economies," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 58-67.
    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. Ren Ze & Zhan Kun & Francis Boadu & Liu Yu, 2018. "The Effects of Boundary-Spanning Search, Network Ties, and Absorptive Capacity for Innovation: A Moderated Mediation Examination," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-18, October.
    2. Bo Zhang & Zhanwen Niu & Chaochao Liu, 2020. "Lean Tools, Knowledge Management, and Lean Sustainability: The Moderating Effects of Study Conventions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-20, January.
    3. Yanjie Wu & Sujuan Wang, 2021. "Sustainable Market Entry Strategy under a Supply Chain Environment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-15, March.
    4. Rong Li & Yi-Fei Du & Hong-Juan Tang & Francis Boadu & Min Xue, 2019. "MNEs’ Subsidiary HRM Practices and Firm Innovative Performance: A Tacit Knowledge Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-18, March.
    5. Maria Vincenza Ciasullo & Raffaella Montera & Nicola Cucari & Francesco Polese, 2020. "How an international ambidexterity strategy can address the paradox perspective on corporate sustainability: Evidence from Chinese emerging market multinationals," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(5), pages 2110-2129, July.
    6. Francis Boadu & Yu Xie & Yi-Fei Du & Elizabeth Dwomo-Fokuo, 2018. "MNEs Subsidiary Training and Development and Firm Innovative Performance: The Moderating Effects of Tacit and Explicit Knowledge Received from Headquarters," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-25, November.

    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. Hitt, Michael A. & Li, Dan & Xu, Kai, 2016. "International strategy: From local to global and beyond," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 58-73.
    2. Jain, Naveen Kumar & Celo, Sokol & Kumar, Vikas, 2019. "Internationalization speed, resources and performance: Evidence from Indian software industry," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 26-37.
    3. Gammeltoft, Peter & Cuervo-Cazurra, Alvaro, 2021. "Enriching internationalization process theory: insights from the study of emerging market multinationals," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(3).
    4. Foroudi, Pantea & Gupta, Suraksha & Patel, Parth & Batsakis, Georgios & Vaatanen, Juha & Czinkota, Michael, 2023. "The effect of home country characteristics on the internationalization of EMNEs: The moderating role of knowledge stock," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(2).
    5. Hongping Du & Liliana Mitkova & Na Wang, 2020. "The Paths of Internationalization of Chinese Innovative Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-27, March.
    6. Heechun Kim & Jie Wu & Douglas A. Schuler & Robert E. Hoskisson, 2020. "Chinese multinationals’ fast internationalization: Financial performance advantage in one region, disadvantage in another," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(7), pages 1076-1106, September.
    7. Luo, Yadong & Maksimov, Vladislav & Bu, Juan, 2021. "Making Geographic Dispersion Work for Emerging Market MNEs," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(3).
    8. Michelle Yang, K. & Tang, Jintong & Donbesuur, Francis & Adomako, Samuel, 2023. "Institutional support for entrepreneurship and new venture internationalization: Evidence from small firms in Ghana," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    9. Rachel Xenia Chang & Mário Henrique Ogasavara, 2021. "The impact of institutional distance and experiential knowledge on the internationalization speed of Japanese MNEs," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 20(5), pages 549-582, November.
    10. Enderwick, Peter & Buckley, Peter J., 2021. "The role of springboarding in economic catch-up: A theoretical perspective," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(3).
    11. Yadong Luo & Rosalie L Tung, 2018. "A general theory of springboard MNEs," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(2), pages 129-152, February.
    12. Ayden, Yuksel & Tatoglu, Ekrem & Glaister, Keith W. & Demirbag, Mehmet, 2021. "Exploring the internationalization strategies of Turkish multinationals: A multi-perspective analysis," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(3).
    13. Navin Kumar Saxena & Satyasiba Das, 2022. "Competitive Pressure and the Moderating Role of the Knowledge Network on Internationalization Intent of Indian State-owned Enterprises," IIM Kozhikode Society & Management Review, , vol. 11(1), pages 47-61, January.
    14. Sengupta, Aditi Sarkar & Kleindienst, Ingo & Hutzschenreuter, Thomas, 2023. "Heterogenous internationalization processes of emerging economy MNEs: A review and research agenda," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(3).
    15. Liedong, Tahiru Azaaviele & Peprah, Augustine Awuah & Amartey, Abednego Okoe & Rajwani, Tazeeb, 2020. "Institutional voids and firms' resource commitment in emerging markets: A review and future research agenda," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(3).
    16. Yadong Luo & Hongxin Zhao & Yagang Wang & Youmin Xi, 2011. "Venturing Abroad by Emerging Market Enterprises," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 51(4), pages 433-459, August.
    17. James, Barclay E. & Sawant, Rajeev J. & Bendickson, Joshua S., 2020. "Emerging market multinationals’ firm-specific advantages, institutional distance, and foreign acquisition location choice," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(5).
    18. Ronaldo Parente & Ke Rong & José-Mauricio G. Geleilate & Everlyne Misati, 2019. "Adapting and sustaining operations in weak institutional environments: A business ecosystem assessment of a Chinese MNE in Central Africa," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 50(2), pages 275-291, March.
    19. Huang, Yuanyuan & Xie, En & Wu, Zhan, 2021. "Portfolio characteristics of outward foreign direct investment and dynamic performance of emerging economy firms: An option portfolio perspective," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(4).
    20. Dirk Holtbrügge & Sue Claire Berning, 2018. "Market Entry Strategies and Performance of Chinese Firms in Germany: The Moderating Effect of Home Government Support," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 147-170, February.

    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:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:8:p:2893-:d:163853. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.