A QUANTITATIVE MEASURE OF THE GRADUALIST APPROACH TO INTERNATIONALIZATION

The goal of this research is to create a holistic global model which integrates the main theories and approaches used in researching company internationalization. The resource-based view of export strategy has shown the greatest capability of explaining deciding exports. The gradualist model of the Scandinavian school of thought has been widely utilized as an explanation of the appropriate methods and momentum for gradual export abroad. The second goal of this research is to demonstrate implementation of the gradualist models. The way of entering each international market by the companies, though being an easily-understood intuitive concept, nevertheless generates confusion from an operating point of view. Currently, there is no quantitative variable that can tell if a specific company, or sector, adheres to the guidelines of the gradualist model. For this purpose, we generate an easilymeasured quantitative, continuous variable, which indicates the extent that companies adapt the thesis proposed by the Scandinavian school of thought.