Timing in Internationalisation

This research focuses on the variables that impact on time in internationalisation processes within the automotive supply industry. This is important, since time is a critical success factor. The theories around internationalisation are out-dated, while the global environment is changing ever more rapidly. This supports the idea that a gap in knowledge exists. Following an interpretive inductive analytical approach from a neo-empiricist standpoint, the researcher conducted interviews with five companies within the industry. The outcome of the triangulated data collection and thematic analysis is a model, symbolizing the variables that influence time in the internationalisation process. This model not only fills the gap in knowledge but also, when applied in practice, it will fundamentally change the way suppliers further down the supply chain architecture their internationalisation process, thus leading to massive improvements.