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Journal of Business Economics

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01-07-2015 | Original Paper

Individual-level experience and organizational-level absorptive capacity: the special case of international new ventures

Authors: Marius Claus Wehner, Christian Schwens, Rüdiger Kabst

Published in: Journal of Business Economics | Issue 5/2015

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Abstract

The present paper conceptualizes the interdependence of individual-level experience on organizational-level absorptive capacity (ACAP) to explain organizations’ competitive advantages. Drawing on and expanding the theoretical framework by Zahra and George (Acad Manag Rev 27(2):185–203, 2002), we conceptualize a theoretical model for ACAP specifically tailored to the context of international new ventures (INVs). We derive propositions from our theoretical model to inform future scholarship in the domain of International Entrepreneurship and beyond. Our research argues that INVs vary in their ACAP process due to the management’s prior international experience enhancing the competitive advantages of the organization.

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Title: Individual-level experience and organizational-level absorptive capacity: the special case of international new ventures
Authors: Marius Claus Wehner
Christian Schwens
Rüdiger Kabst
Publication date: 01-07-2015
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: Journal of Business Economics / Issue 5/2015
Print ISSN: 0044-2372
Electronic ISSN: 1861-8928
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11573-014-0745-1

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