De-internationalization: A Thematic Review and the Directions Forward

Setbacks, interruptions and turnarounds in the internationalization process: a bibliometric and literature review of de-internationalization

“… International Business Review Foreign Divestment Business Source Complete, EconBiz, Emerald, JSTOR, ScienceDirect, Wiley Online Library and Google Scholar 1995–2019 45 articles Meta-analysis Coudounaris et al ( 2020 ) Three decades of subsidiary exits: Parent firm financial performance and moderators Journal of Business Research Foreign Divestment Not mentioned 1989–2018 80 articles Meta-analysis Boffelli and Johansson ( 2020 ) What do we want to know about reshoring? Towards a comprehensive framework based on a meta-synthesis Operations Management Research Backshoring Scopus and Web of Science 2014–2018 41 articles Meta-synthesis Lamba ( 2021 ) Deglobalization: Review and research future agenda using PAMO framework Book chapter De-internationalization Scopus 2004–2021 (partial) 52 articles Systematic review Tang et al ( 2021 ) De‑internationalization: A Thematic Review and the Directions Forward Management International Review De-internationalization Web of Science 1979–2019 218 articles Framework-based thematic review Kafouros et al ( 2022 ) Cycle of de-internationalization and re-internationalization Journal of World Business De- and re-internationalization Not mentioned Selected articles 34 articles Literature review – Content analysis …”

“…The author adopts a deductive approach, applying theory-driven dimensions of internationalization to previous research in order to identify the key developments and research gaps. More recently, Tang et al ( 2021 ) synthesized theoretical arguments and empirical findings to map the concept of de-internationalization, its motives, barriers and long-term impacts on multiple stakeholders in a thematic framework. Lamba ( 2021 ) used a structured framework focusing on characteristics of a relevant set of articles to examine the extant literature.…”

“…The transfer of a subsidiary from a distant country to a nearby country may have little impact in terms of the number of countries in which the MNE operates, but depending on the country or countries exited, it may also mean reducing the scope of internationalization from global (operating on several continents) to regional (operating on a single continent). Thus, there is a wide variety of de-internationalization movements, with very different impacts on the nature, scope, and intensity of the firm’s international activities (e.g., Tang et al 2021 ; Trąpczyński 2016 ).…”

“…Previous reviews have examined the complexity of de-internationalization, either addressing it in its entirety (e.g., Tang et al 2021 ; Trąpczyński 2016 ), or focusing on a specific form of it (e.g., Arte and Larimo 2019 ; Stentoft et al 2016 ). Although previous reviews have identified gaps in the extant literature and have provided insights for future research, none of them have done so by applying a combination of bibliometric and content analysis techniques to a broader set of papers that encompass all the different manifestations of de-internationalization.…”

Emotion and International Business: Theorising Fear of Failure in the Internationalisation

“…Internationalisation is instrumental to a firm’s survival and growth along with the potential for a positive effect on economic development ( The World Bank, 2019 ). While internationalisation may contribute to the improved performance of a firm ( Lu and Beamish, 2006 ), a firm’s internationalisation activities comprise both progress and setbacks ( Clarke and Liesch, 2017 ; Kriz and Welch, 2018 ), in particular, facing frequently occurring challenges or failure in international markets ( Alexander and Korine, 2008 ), de-internationalisation ( Tang et al, 2021 ), and host country risk ( Tang and Buckley, 2020 ). Failure in international business refers to unexpected decreased involvement in international activities, divestment, and export withdrawal ( Nummela et al, 2016 ) and is considered a natural part of the process of the internationalisation of a firm as it comprises both progress and setbacks ( Clarke and Liesch, 2017 ; Kriz and Welch, 2018 ).…”