Purpose -The goal of this study is to use the institution-based view as the background for an investigation of how formal institutions influence the internationalization processes of firms from an emerging economy.Design/methodology/approach -Our case study is based on semistructured interviews with twenty-one representatives of formal institutions and firms in the Brazilian wine industry.Findings -It was noted that formal institutions have positive influences on the internationalization of Brazilian wineries by providing learning, relationship networks, intelligence about foreign markets, costs reduction, internationalization of business processes, and by promoting the home country's image as a wine producer in foreign markets, and as a recognized supplier to the domestic market. They also have negative influences, as excessive bureaucracy, strikes, erection of legal barriers to trade with other countries, insufficient technical knowledge, high taxes, and favoritism benefiting the largest wine producers in the industry.Originality/value -The paper closes with suggestions for future research on how phenomena such as the relationship strategies established by the wineries impact upon internationalization and how decisions of a political nature made by formal institutions influence the wine industry, providing a new outlook on the internationalization of these firms.

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Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand the role institutions play in driving the internationalization of firms in an emerging country through promotion of coopetition. Investigating the relationships between coopetition, institutions and internationalization, especially among firms in emerging countries, is an important approach that has received little attention. Design/methodology/approach This study has used a single case study interviewing managers of Brazilian wineries and representatives of formal institutions in an emerging economy. A research framework taking an institutions-based view of strategy and applying it to study coopetition and internationalization is proposed. Findings Formal institutions are the most important players in the promotion of coopetition between firms in the Brazilian wine industry. Coopetition enables firms to access new resources and capabilities, promoting and facilitating internationalization, while also increasing firms’ competitiveness in the domestic market. The study also found evidence of certain limiting factors within these relationships, caused by the heterogeneous nature of the firms involved and by the asymmetries in their perceptions of the gains achieved. Research limitations/implications As a consequence of the methodology adopted, the results of this study are limited to the Brazilian wine industry. Future research should extend the approach to data collected in different countries and industries. Another promising avenue for research is to explore how decisions of a political nature influence the institutions that coordinate an industry, which would provide a new perspective on the internationalization of the firms involved. Practical implications The results offer governments and institutions an opportunity to better understand, and therefore to better manage, their actions in relation to their role in the promotion of the competitiveness of firms and industries, both in international and domestic markets. For firms, the results offer insights into the possible gains and the limitations of coopetition strategies, contributing to their decision-making on involvement. The study also contributes to understanding the competitiveness of the industry investigated. Originality/value This study approaches coopetition from the institutional perspective. It also focuses on internationalization of firms from an emerging country, which is characterized by a lack of firm-specific resources. The proposed framework seems promising for future research investigating coopetition and institutions within an integrated analytical framework.

Despite the relevance and growth of research into Dynamic Capabilities, certain gaps and criticisms remain. These issues are primarily related to the measurements of Dynanic Capabilities and its impacts on performance. There is a lack of empirical research that is attempting to investigate the existence, development, and orchestration of Dynamic Capabilities to support superior performance. This paper proposes and validates a scale for the measurement of Dynamic Capabilities based on Teece's conceptual dimensions (sense, seizing and reconfiguring) through a survey presented in a highly dynamic industry and market, and by investigating the impact on performance. The results, besides validating the scale, showed Teece´s three conceptual dimensions exhibited different behavior in relation to each dimension of performance. Sense and Reconfiguration demonstrated a negative relationship with organizational performance while Seize is positively associated with performance. This may help explain some of the fuzzy results of previous studies that used proxies to measure Dynamic Capabilities.

Global Value Chains (GVC) and their participants are dynamic. Events can provoke distinct strategic responses from different firms, even when they are part of a GVC. We investigated how both organizational and supplychain path dependence can influence the capabilities that a firm needs to achieve a higher value-added position in a GVC. We have integrated three branches of theory, covering Global Value Chains, Organizational Capabilities, and Path dependence. We conducted a case study of a large Brazilian shoe firm, analyzing its relationships with buyers in GVCs. We found that path-dependent elements had locked-in the firm, preventing ascension to higher added value positions and keeping the organization in captive global value chain, even when it moved into new markets. Additionally, we propose a theoretical model that should prove fruitful in future research in other sectors and countries.