Internationalisation Opportunity Creation (and Exploitation) in an Emerging Market: An Investigation of Digital Intensive Firms and Cultural Intensive Firms

Abstract

Over the past few decades, Indonesia has shown significant economic growth, similar to other emerging markets. However, emerging markets such as Indonesia are not well understood with limited research related to business practices from an international entrepreneurship perspective. This study investigates international entrepreneurship through the lens of effectuation toidentify the differences and similarities between more mature internationalization markets and emerging markets such as Indonesia. The study uses an exploratory multiple case study methodology to better understand this international entrepreneurial phenomenon within Indonesia. Ten cases are used with in-depth interviews from international entrepreneurs to distinguish digital intensive firms internationalizing from culturally based firms internationalizing,to gain insights about modern Indonesia and their international entrepreneurs. The findings highlight some significant changes due to the digitalization of the international business landscape.For example, the study finds distinct characteristics and patterns of behavior international entrepreneurs in digital intensive firms compared to international entrepreneurs in firms more strongly based on cultural artefacts and crafts.These findings highlight the importance of a continual process of evaluation of international entrepreneurs in emerging markets such as Indonesia are altering their business practices in unprecedented ways.