Internationalization Strategies of ASEAN Firms

Abstract

© 2017 Nipawan Thirawat. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Internationalization strategies have been particularly highlighted recently, resulting from a strong correlation between competitive conditions across borders and true markets, leading to the necessity of adaptation to new environmental changes in order to allocate resources efficiently for survival. This chapter addresses the internationalization strategies of firms, coupled with case studies of Association of Southeast Asian Nations multinational enterprises. It summarizes common internationalization strategies in different dimensions, such as entry, research and development and technology transfer, diversification, product pricing, subsidiaries and branding, and others. These are classified by types of firms, which include regional exporters and/or importers, global exporters and importers, multinational challengers, and original equipment/design manufacturing. Strategic options are recommended, to be considered together with relevant strategies for effective internationalization. Case studies of multinational enterprises from the Southeast Asian region are provided to support the explanation of each internationalization strategy.