This study extends on the analysis of innovation and corporate catching-up in China’s photovoltaic and wind power equipment industries from a configurational perspective. In particular, a case-oriented set-theoretic methodology is applied. In empirical terms, the longitudinal analysis unravels the modal complexity of innovation and corporate catching-up and (some of) the temporal context in which it is embedded, including the modal interplay between localized internal and international external learning on the one hand and within international external learning on the other. Multi-modal learning orientations are found to differ not only across firms, but also across firm performance classes. In methodological terms, the added value of applying configurational, set-theoretic logic to latecomer development research is demonstrated. This includes demonstrating the potential use and usefulness of a novel patent analytic approach to conceptualizing individual firm-specific consecutive learning phases in the techno-economic catch-up process of firms.

This paper examines the effects of family management on firm internationalization speed and scope. In addition, we also test the moderating role of collaborative innovation on the above relationships, confirming whether external knowledge resources help solve the dilemma of family business internationalization. Our final dataset comprises 2866 firms and 16290 firm-year observations across all Spanish autonomy regions. The results show that firms with more family management tend to slow their internationalization speed but increase the scope, which breaks our general understanding of family business internationalization (i.e., family firm discourages internationalization). Additionally, collaborating with partners in innovative products and processes does not always help facilitate family firm internationalization, depending on the collaborative diversity and intensity. Specifically, involving multiple collaborative partners (i.e., collaborative diversity) would not help attenuate the negative effects of family management on speed nor strengthen the positive effects of family management on scope. However, collaborative innovation intensity strengthens the family management’s positive effects on internationalization scope but does not work on attenuating the negative effects on speed.

This paper investigates how sales subsidiaries improve their competitive advantages by leveraging local relational network embeddedness in highly competitive host markets. Based on in-depth qualitative data collected from sales subsidiaries of four leading Chinese electronics MNEs operating in the UK electronics market, as well as archive data, this research has successfully constructed a model for the subsidiary local network embedding process. The process model elaborates on the strategic selection of long-term local partnerships, interaction mechanisms with local organisations within embedded ties, and how different types of local partnerships enable subsidiaries to enhance their competitiveness by achieving better brand performance, business performance, and innovation performance compared to competitors. The paper contributes to the literature on subsidiary local embeddedness as source of firms’ competitiveness literature by providing a qualitative, process-oriented view of subsidiary local embeddedness. Additionally, it shifts the unit of analysis from R&D subsidiaries to sales subsidiaries. On a practical level, this paper offers replicable suggestions for latecomers in terms of designing and implementing local embedding strategies, as well as levering local embeddedness to enhance their competitive advantages.

IB scholars are increasingly interested in time, temporality and context to provide richer explanations and increase our understanding of IB phenomena. These IB phenomena are deeply embedded in their temporal context. While there has been calls for more contextual research, there is little research addressing the challenges of including time-sensitive context in the research design. This research highlights the multi-temporality of the IB research in by defining the temporality of the phenomenon, the informants and the researcher(s). The authors provide a framework that enables to capture the temporality in research leading to more robust, rigorous and time sensitive IB research.