ABSTRACT
Structure of the chapter In earlier chapters we have argued that the growth of firms is predicated upon the ability of firms to learn from previous experience, to develop their stock of knowledge and technologies, and to establish an increasingly large foothold in markets. In this chapter the agenda of internationalization incorporates the learning experience. The chapter first explores the learning process that underpins entry, growth and the development of firms in the international market. The focus is on issues that have special implications for opportunity recognition and achievement, new venture creation, new product and service development, and the emergence of new types and modes of organization. Part II focuses on different models of learning that emerge from and also influence the internationalization process. Different modes and models of internationalization require specific sets of competencies relevant to the actions taken by firms in the process of internationalization. This issue is taken up in Part III. There are also spatial aspects to learning that enable us to understand why there are variations in the process of internationalization, and its effects for firms in different regions. The coverage of spatial aspects takes place in Part IV. Consideration of the spatial aspects provides insights into collective patterns of behaviour by firms as they are affected by globalization, which is discussed in Part V. This is followed in Part VI by an examination of
the role of the Internet in the internationalization process of firms and how firms oscillate between their engagement in the internationalization process and their management of the currents of globalization, which can have an effect on the former process. This prompts a discussion in Part VII explaining the meaning of globalization and current trends in globalization and internationalization that bring together small and larger firms across geographical boundaries, opening up opportunities for new forms of ventures and entrepreneurial activities, before the chapter is concluded.
