The quantum cube of internationalisation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32826/reyf.v3i9.401Keywords:
Multinational enterprises, Internationalisation configurations, Strategic entropy, Uncertainty and volatility;, Firm performance, Organisational integration and modularityAbstract
Contemporary internationalisation unfolds under conditions of hyper-volatility characterised by tariff escalation, geopolitical decoupling, regulatory fragmentation, and rapid policy reversals. Classical internationalisation theories—whether stage-based, efficiency-driven, or platform-oriented—assume relative stability in the coordination of cross-border activities and thus struggle to guide strategic decision-making in such environments. This article introduces the Quantum Cube of Internationalisation (QCI) as a unifying theoretical framework that conceptualises internationalisation as a multidimensional state space rather than a linear process or a single architectural logic. Drawing on illustrative evidence from exporting firms operating under tariff and regulatory volatility, the theory explains how firms can sustain strategic optionality, anticipate collapse thresholds, and deliberately time commitments under uncertainty. By integrating insights on localisation, integration, and portfolio configuration with a volatility-aware decision logic, the Quantum Cube provides a rigorous yet operational framework for analysing internationalisation under tariffs, geopolitical risk, and regulatory shock. The article contributes a volatility-aware, state-based theory of internationalisation that complements and extends process and efficiency perspectives.
References
Alizadeh, A. H., Nomikos, N. K., & Pouliasis, P. K. (2019). Energy markets, volatility and the global economy. Quantitative Finance, 19(1), 1-5.
Antràs, P. (2020). De-globalisation? Global value chains in the post-COVID-19 age. NBER Working Paper 28115.
Antràs, P., & Chor, D. (2021). Global value chains. Handbook of International Economics, 5, 297-376.
Baker, S. R., Bloom, N., & Davis, S. J. (2016). Measuring economic policy uncertainty. QJE, 131(4), 1593-1636.
Bonaime, A., Gulen, H., & Ion, M. (2018). Does policy uncertainty affect M&A activity?. RFS, 31(7), 2700-2741.
Contractor, F. J. (2022). The world economy will need even more globalization in the post-pandemic 2021 decade. JWB, 57(2), 101287.
Cunningham, C., Ederer, F., & Ma, S. (2021). Killer acquisitions. JPE, 129(9), 2811-2864.
Davis, G. F. (2016). Can an economy survive without corporations? Technology and robust organizational alternatives. AMP, 30(2), 129-142.
Felin, T., Foss, N. J., & Ployhart, R. E. (2015). Microfoundations for management research. AMP, 29(4), 430-448.
Fiss, P. C. (2007). A set-theoretic approach to organizational configurations. AMR, 32(4), 1180-1198.
Fiss, P. C. (2011). Building better causal theories. AMR, 36(2), 393-413.
Gulen, H., & Ion, M. (2016). Policy uncertainty and corporate investment. RFS, 29(3), 523-564.
Jacquemin, A. P., & Berry, C. H. (1979). Entropy measure of diversification and corporate growth. JIE, 5(2), 359-369.
Kenney, M., & Zysman, J. (2020). The platform economy. IRLE, 6(1), 177-196.
Kogut, B., & Kulatilaka, N. (2001). Capabilities as real options. OSc, 12(6), 744-758.
Misangyi, V. F., Greckhamer, T., Furnari, S., Fiss, P. C., Crilly, D., & Aguilera, R. (2017). Embracing causal complexity. AMJ, 60(2), 449-463.
O’Reilly, C. A., & Tushman, M. L. (2008). Ambidexterity as a dynamic capability. HBR, 86(4), 74-81.
Pappas, I. O., & Woodside, A. G. (2021). Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) in tourism. JTB, 87, 103370.
Perrow, C. (1984). Normal accidents. Princeton UP.
Powell, T. C., Lovallo, D., & Fox, C. R. (2011). Behavioral strategy. SMJ, 32(13), 1369-1386.
Ragin, C. C. (2008). Redesigning social inquiry. Chicago UP.
Ramirez, R., Österman, R., & Grönquist, D. (2013). Scenarios and early warnings. LRP, 46(4), 302-316.
Schoemaker, P. J. H. (1995). Scenario planning. SMJ, 16(3), 193-213.
Taleb, N. N. (2007). The black swan. Random House.
Trigeorgis, L. (1996). Real options. MIT Press.
Urry, J. (2003). Global complexity. Polity.
Buckley, P. J. (2020).
The theory and empirics of the multinational enterprise. Journal of International Business Studies, 51(1), 4–20.
Buckley, P. J., Doh, J. P., & Benischke, M. H. (2017).
Towards a renaissance in international business research? Big questions, grand challenges, and the future of IB scholarship. Journal of International Business Studies, 48(9), 1045–1064.
Cuervo-Cazurra, A., Inkpen, A., Musacchio, A., & Ramaswamy, K. (2014).
Governments as owners: State-owned multinational companies. Journal of International Business Studies, 45(8), 919–942.
Witt, M. A. (2019).
De-globalization: Theories, predictions, and opportunities for international business research. Journal of International Business Studies, 50(7), 1053–1077.
Van Assche, A., Hong, C., & Wu, Y. (2020).
Global value chains in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from global trade data. Journal of International Business Policy, 3(3), 283–294.
Verbeke, A., & Kano, L. (2016).
An internalization theory perspective on the global and regional strategies of multinational enterprises. Journal of World Business, 51(1), 83–92.
Buckley, P. J., & Casson, M. (1976). The future of the multinational enterprise. Macmillan.
Dunning, J. H. (1988). The eclectic paradigm of international production. Journal of International Business Studies, 19(1), 1–31.
Johanson, J., & Vahlne, J.-E. (2009). The Uppsala internationalization process model revisited. Journal of International Business Studies, 40(9), 1411–1431.
Kaufmann, L., Carter, C. R., & Michel, A. (2006). The impact of investment barriers on the internationalisation of manufacturing firms. International Business Review, 15(3), 239–260.
Nambisan, S., Zahra, S. A., & Luo, Y. (2019). Global platforms and ecosystems. Journal of International Business Studies, 50(9), 1464–1486.
Welch, C., & Paavilainen-Mäntymäki, E. (2014). Putting process back into internationalisation research. Journal of International Business Studies, 45(1), 2–23.
Cuervo-Cazurra, A., Mudambi, R., & Pedersen, T. (2018). Global strategy and the geopolitics of globalization. Journal of International Business Studies, 49(2), 113–123.
Evenett, S. J., & Fritz, J. (2015). Crisis-era protectionism and the global trade slowdown. CEPR Press.
Hoekman, B., & Nicita, A. (2011). Trade policy, trade costs, and developing country trade. World Development, 39(12), 2069–2079.
European Commission. (2017). EudraLex – Volume 4: Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Guidelines. Brussels.
European Medicines Agency (EMA). (2018). Guideline on the responsibilities of the qualified person for batch certification. EMA/INS/GMP/321252/2015.
European Parliament and Council. (2016). Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation). Official Journal of the European Union, L119, 1–88.
Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). (2020). Data Protection Commissioner v Facebook Ireland and Maximillian Schrems (Schrems II), Case C-311/18.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Those authors who have publications with this journal accept the following terms:
- The authors will retain their copyright and guarantee the journal the right of first publication of their work, which will be simultaneously subject to the Creative Commons Recognition License that allows third parties to share the work whenever its author is indicated and its first publication is this magazine.
- Authors may adopt other non-exclusive licensing agreements for the distribution of the published work (eg, deposit it in an institutional telematic file or publish it in a monographic volume) whenever the initial publication is indicated in this magazine.
- Authors are allowed and advised to disseminate their work through the Internet (eg in institutional telematic files or on their website) before and during the submission process, which can produce interesting exchanges and increase the citations of the published work. (See The effect of open access ).
