Ryan, Paul and Evers, Natasha and Smith, Adele and Andersson, Svante
(2018)
Local horizontal network
membership for accelerated
global market reach.
International Marketing Review, 36 (1).
ISSN 0265-1335
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explain how some born global firms can leverage the rich
social capital in their local (home country) horizontal network for accelerated international market entry
and growth. Horizontal networks warrant separate attention from their vertical counterparts, which, along
with those focussed on external international contexts, dominate most network studies in the realm of born
global research.
Design/methodology/approach – The study utilises a multi-level qualitative approach in the study of a
multi-firm population of animators in Ireland that, due to the small domestic market for their product, needed
to pursue global customers from inception. The case study domain was purposely selected as a critical
exemplar of a local horizontal network operating in a highly globalised industry. The authors collected data
through in-depth interviews with 16 company founders. This primary interview data were complemented by
interviews with staff at the apposite industry association and triangulated with secondary data on the local
and global industry conditions, members’ international successes and awards.
Findings – The results demonstrate how active membership of a local horizontal network can be leveraged
for the acquisition of international market knowledge and customers for born global ventures. This arises
from the sharing of collective market knowledge and communal global customer information within the
network to mutual benefit.
Originality/value – Although limited by the specific conditions in this highly globalised, non-competitive
industry context, this study is unique in that it finds that cooperative interpersonal and inter-firm
relationships embedded in a local horizontal social network, and mediated in part by an institutional support
actor, emerge as important levers for a born global’s accelerated acquisition of foreign market knowledge and
of global customers
| Item Type: |
Article
|
| Keywords: |
International marketing; Social capital; Intermediaries; Horizontal networks; Local networks; |
| Academic Unit: |
Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Business |
| Item ID: |
12874 |
| Identification Number: |
https://doi.org/10.1108/IMR-03-2017-0061 |
| Depositing User: |
Adele Smith-Auchmuty
|
| Date Deposited: |
14 May 2020 09:56 |
| Journal or Publication Title: |
International Marketing Review |
| Publisher: |
emerald publishing ltd. |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| URI: |
|
| Use Licence: |
This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available
here |
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