Innovation and internationalisation in the white goods GVC: the case of Arcelik

The present article sheds light on the process that has allowed a firm from a developing economy to transform itself successfully from an original equipment manufacturer to an own original brand manufacturer multinational enterprise. We study the case of Arcelik, a consumer electronics MNE from Turkey and identify four factors for successful internationalisation: rapid strategy execution, investment to build technological capabilities and organisational adaptation, focus on international marketing capabilities and distribution networks and leverage on business group resources. The analysis suggests that globalisation is being driven not just by the giant incumbent firms but also by emerging firms internationalising from the periphery, thanks to the above mentioned four strategies they adopt.