Internationalization speed in the context of diversified MNEs

To date, surprisingly little research has been devoted to internationalization speed, which is arguably one of the most important time-based dimensions of a firm's internationalization process. There has been some research devoted to speed in the context of international entrepreneurship and the internationalization of newly founded firms, but internationalization speed in the context of established firms has by and large been overlooked. An underexplored question therefore is: What explains differences in internationalization speed in the context of established firms?

This work aims to make the following contributions: First, an overview on the study of internationalization speed and the drivers and outcomes of speed that have been discussed in the literature so far is provided to motivate the readers to develop their own research ideas in this area.

Second, an empirical investigation on the speed of internationalization in the context of established firms is presented. This empirical study focuses on knowledge as one of the core drivers of the internationalization speed of newly established business units (NBUs) of established multinational enterprises (MNEs).

The book provides exciting insights for international business researchers seeking a comprehensive overview of the topic of internationalization speed, as well as for business practitioners and managers that develop strategies how and how fast to internationalize their companies.

Martin Hammes studied business administration in Bamberg, Aarhus and Vallendar. He earned his doctorate degree at the WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management with this dissertation.