Five Configurations of Opportunism in International Market Entry

Alain Verbeke*, Luciano Ciravegna, Luis E. Lopez, Sumit K. Kundu

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

49 Citations (Scopus)
337 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

We investigate the conditions under which opportunism occurs in international market entry. Examining 133 entries into new markets by 38 Chinese exporters, we uncover instances of opportunistic behaviour on the part of importers. We study five variables affecting such behaviour: managerial experience, market entry share; market distance, young age, and network size. While we find no single variable on its own associated with opportunism, we do find that in concert they form five configurations of opportunism. In one configuration, even older firms with experienced managers and a large network are subject to partners behaving opportunistically when they are entering a distant market. We conclude that simplistic predictions based on the presence of a single antecedent should make way for a configurational approach whereby a set of conditions must be in place for opportunism to materialize.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1287-1313
JournalJournal of Management Studies
Volume56
Issue number7
Early online date24 Sept 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2019

Keywords

  • internalization theory
  • internationalization
  • market entry
  • opportunism
  • transaction cost economics

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