Internationalization of the firm: A discourse-based view

While internationalization process theory has deepened our understanding of international expansion, it and many other international business (IB) theories have largely neglected the underlying managerial processes and decision-making contexts of internationalization. In response, we articulate a model that accounts for both the external context and the internal processes leading to internationalization decisions. We argue that internationalization decisions are grounded in contestation and struggle for control, eventually leading to a dominant discourse, consensus, and performativity. We illustrate our model through two contrasting cases of internationalization, and we show how contemporary IB theories can be enhanced by adding a discourse approach.