Determinants of internationalization models followed by industrial exporters: The example of the TR42 region

There are various definitions and models regarding the concept of internationalization. The main models mentioned in the literature include the Uppsala Model, the Innovation Model, the Network Model, the International Entrepreneurship Model, and the Born Global Model. When examining the meaning attributed to the concept, it is evident that internationalization and international businesses date back much further than the modern era. However, it is also a well-known fact that academic research on the concept of internationalization has gained momentum in recent years. Considering the current processes at the beginning of the 2020s, it is believed that the stages proposed by models attempting to explain internationalization are undergoing changes due to economic and commercial shifts. For this reason, this study was conducted to identify the determinants of the internationalization models followed by industrial exporters and to determine whether there are differences in the stages proposed by the existing models in the literature. The study was carried out in the Kocaeli sub-region, one of the 26 statistical sub-regions classified under the Turkish Statistical Regional Units Classification (NUTS). The study focused on the TR42 region, which includes the provinces of Kocaeli (TR421), Sakarya (TR422), Düzce (TR423), Bolu (TR424), and Yalova (TR425). It aimed to determine the factors influencing the internationalization models adopted by industrial exporters in this region. The study also sought to identify any variations in the internationalization processes outlined by these models, considering extraordinary circumstances (such as COVID-19, exchange rate fluctuations, wars, etc.) affecting industrial exporters operating in the TR42 region. The findings presented the alignment of internationalized firms within the TR42 region with the theoretical internationalization models and determined which model was predominantly reflected in practice. A mixed-methods approach was used as the research methodology. Initially, interviews were conducted with eight selected firms to determine which models and steps they followed in their internationalization processes. Semi-structured interview questions were utilized for these assessments. The interviews resulted in the identification of eight themes. To evaluate the importance of these themes, the opinions of decision-making experts were sought. At this stage, data were analyzed using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), one of the widely used multi-criteria decision-making and modern decision support methods for solving complex problems. The opinions of 20 experts were collected for data acquisition. Purposeful sampling was employed to reach the correct firms and participants within those firms for the interviews. Based on the interviews, it was observed that firms emphasized factors such as connections through acquaintances, participation in certification networks, interactions at trade fairs, and collaborations with local clients. These findings indicated a strong emphasis on the explanatory power of the Network Model among the internationalization models. The eight themes derived from the interviews were shared with 10 academic and 10 industry experts, who were asked to rank them in order of importance. Both academic and industry experts concluded that "personal connections and networking" was the most critical criterion ın the final section of the thesis, recommendations were provided for firms intending to internationalize and for processes at the governmental level, based on the findings obtained.