Internationalization to China

: perspectives of portuguese companies

Abstract

This research work aims to study the internationalization process of Portuguese companies to China. In recent years, Portuguese companies have become increasingly more international, either out of necessity, or due to the technological progress that has made the globalization of international markets possible. Notwithstanding, the international expansion of a given company to a transition country such as China still poses interestingly complex decisions and challenges. This work aims to facilitate a better understanding of the perspectives of Portuguese companies when internationalizing to this market. Specifically, regarding topics such as a firms’ motivations to internationalize to the Chinese market, the main barriers endured throughout their process of internationalization and two possible strategies companies’ might have adopted in order to augment their internationalization performance. From a methodological standpoint, a mixed method approach has been adopted through the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data. The findings derived from this study allowed us to conclude that marketseeking motivations are clearly the main driver behind Portuguese companies’ internationalization to the Chinese market. Moreover, cultural and institutional differences are highlighted as the biggest obstacles throughout the internationalization process to this country. Lastly, the idea that cultural awareness should be a topic worthy of prioritization for the various stakeholders involved in foreign companies’ internationalization processes to China is reenforced.

Date of Award	9 Jul 2021
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Ana Lourenço (Supervisor)