BUSCADOR RECOLECTA

This study adopts a business network view to study the effects of subsidiary embeddedness on both subsidiary influence within the MNC and innovation-related business performance. Through Structural Equation Modeling we analyze subsidiary relationships connected to 85 innovation projects. The results show that external and corporate embeddedness are complementary contexts, although they affect subsidiary influence and performance differently. Whereas external embeddedness directly affects innovation-related business performance, corporate embeddedness strengthens the subsidiary’s influence within the MNC, which in turn positively relates to performance. Moreover, as the study also finds that external and corporate embeddedness are positively associated, it stresses the issue of simultaneously balancing both external and corporate relationships (i.e. dual embeddedness) to nurture innovation projects., The authors wish to thank the Spanish Ministry of Science and
Innovation, Project ECO2011-28991 for financial support.

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Martín Martín, O. and Drogendijk, R. (2014), Country Distance (COD): Development and Validation of a New Objective Measure. Journal of Small Business Management, 52: 102–125, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jsbm.12035. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving., We propose a multidimensional and objective measure, Country Distance (COD), as a comprehensive
measure of distance between countries. Although the literature has called for a measure like this, in
particular to support international decision-making by SMEs, the research carried out so far has relied
on measures of limited focus. We use Partial Least Squares (PLS) to develop the COD index and
investigate the relative importance of its three dimensions: socio-economic development, physical, and
cultural and historical distance. We externally validate the measure in an analysis of the international
market selection decisions of a sample of SMEs and country-level export flows., This research was partially financed by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science under
the José Castillejo Program and by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, project ECO2011-28991.

To better manage and understand the speed at which firms internationalize, managers and
scholars need an appropriate conceptualization and a reliable and valid measure of speed of
internationalization. The literature, however, adopts a limited temporal perspective and usually
conceptualizes and measures it as the time it takes the firm to start to internationalize. This
unidimensional view neglects the central aspects of internationalization that create speed. Our
purpose is, therefore, to propose a new, theory-driven – embedded in the main concepts of the
original Uppsala model – and multidimensional conceptualization and operationalization. The
main contribution is that we develop this conceptualization and measure., We wish to thank to the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, project ECO2011-28991, for the financial support provided.

We investigate how distance and different dimensions of distance between countries explain the outward FDI of firms according to distinct home country contexts. We identify three important dimensions of country distance: socio-economic development distance, cultural and historical distance and physical distance. We then empirically explore whether these dimensions receive different weights when explaining the location of FDI depending on its origin by comparing the outward FDI of China and Spain using partial least squares-based structural equations modelling (SEM-PLS). We find that although country distance significantly explains the FDI of both countries, the weights of the three dimensions of distance depend on the home country context. More specifically, we find that all three dimensions of distance explain the direction of Spanish investments, whereas only cultural and historical distance significantly explains Chinese outward FDI. Our research advances the understanding of distance between countries, the dimensions of distance, and how context influences the impact of the dimensions of distance., Óscar Martín Martín wishes to thank the Spanish Ministry of
Science and Innovation, Project ECO2011-28991, for the financial
support provided.
Proyecto financiado por el Ministerio de Educación en el marco
del Programa Campus de Excelencia Internacional, Programa de
Ayudas para la movilidad del PDI de Campus Iberus.

Not much is known about the characteristics of “early internationalizers” in their later life and there is
scant empirical literature – and an acute need for quantitative studies – about the features of Born
Internationals (BIs) after their first years of operation. In this context, we aim to describe the later life
of BIs and determine whether some of the critical aspects of internationalization are visible in their
post-birth features. This study contributes to the literature on internationalization by providing
quantitative evidence on key post-birth characteristics of BIs. Guided by five research hypotheses, it
explores changes in the BIs’ profile and tests whether or not there are differences between newer BIs
and older ones in a sample of SMEs. The results support the basic cumulative dynamics proposed by
the incremental school in terms of international business experience, international commitment, and
level of internationalization, which implies that these factors can to some extent be viewed as driving
forces in the internationalization process of BIs., The authors wish to thank the Spanish Ministry of Science and
Innovation, Project ECO2011-28991, for the financial support
provided. Proyecto financiado por el Ministerio de Educación en el
marco del Programa Campus de Excelencia Internacional, Programa
de Ayudas para la movilidad del PDI de Campus Iberus.