Shifting ground: Studies on the intersection of organizational expansion, internationalization and learning

Many firms seek to grow and expand, often beyond their own national borders. New markets are enticing, waiting to be explored and exploited. Especially acquisitions and joint ventures are of ever increasing popularity, not the least because of their apparent smooth and speedy gateway into the promised land. However, many of them fail. The journey into new grounds becomes an arduous one where cultural differences turn out to be shifting sands that blur the company's vision and limit the chances of survival of its ventures. The company has to shift ground and learn that its (domestic) principles and viewpoints do not hold in the new environment. This dissertation compiles a number of studies that identify these quandaries. Based on theoretical reasoning and extensive empirical investigation, the different trails that are taken are revealed, suggesting different paths of learning and stepping stones towards abiding growth.