Discourses on Institutions “Intentions of Umbrella Organizations for Internationalization”

Abstract

The value that internationalization creates for both the firm and the country renders this process a significant subject for all parties. The aim of this study is to determine what kinds of effort are made for influencing the internationalization of firms, within the context of Turkey. Institutions have been considered as a means of these efforts. Accordingly, this study seeks an answer to the question of whether The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), which is the supreme professional organization and the legal representative of the private sector in Turkey, endeavors to influence the internationalization process of firms through institutions. This effort was traced through TOBB's official speeches. Within this context, 125 speeches of TOBB made between 2003 and 2015 were assessed with directed content analysis from the perspective of institutional theory and thematic analysis. Analysis results of the speeches indicate that an effort was made by TOBB for influencing internationalization through all of the regulative, cognitive, and normative institutions.