| I discuss how an organization's identity orientation unfolds within the real-life experiences of a young, internationalizing business firm named the Triton Corporation. By drawing from multiple perspectives, in particular, the organizational identity orientation construct, international business, international business ethics and institutional theory, I ask the following research question: What is the process by which a young firm's organization's identity orientation unfolds over time as it legitimates itself to a foreign partner or group, and what are the consequences and implications of such a process?Utilizing a grounded theory research approach, I propose a rich and robust framework that specifies how complex external/institutional and organizational factors influence the organization's identity orientation, how such an identity orientation drives the actions and strategies that such firms utilize to expand their business networks within the context of internationalization, and the consequences and implications (i.e. conflicts, tensions, challenges) that result from the success (or failure) of the internationalization initiative.This study demonstrates how a multidisciplinary approach towards firm internationalization gives rise to opportunities for synergies and conversation across disciplines that illuminate the full range of what is at stake in better understanding the phenomenon. |
