Vast Literature

Vast literature has been used to support this research. Life-cycle-process theory is one great theory used to support the findings of the study. Life-cycle-process theory has been espoused in the works of Van de Ven & Poole (1995, p. 510 – 40) arguing that firms are affected by certain stimuli, and they proceed from a particular stage to another following a similar pattern. This pattern is what Van de Ven & Poole (1995, p. 510 – 40) establishes as the process. The models have also been identified as quite deterministic, and based on an interpretation of reality and human nature (McDougall & Oviatt 1996, p. 23 - 40).

From the theoretical perspective explaining internalization as used in the study, the term internationalization is viewed as a response to a stimulus which a firm faces from either internal or external forces. It was established that only a few studies have applied the theory and few have given a teleological interpretation of the process, which is why the study holds as pivotal in explaining internalization as a process (Jones 1999, p. 15 – 41).

This study is based on a number of models from other scholarly works. The models that describe and analyze this study base on small-business internationalization processes. They are dominated by an established incremental-change paradigm as established by Lam & White (1999, p. 105 – 34) and Havnes (1998, 134 - 141). These models are referred to as stage models, which are termed as tempting because of their logic and simplicity (Lam & White 1999, p. 105 - 34). However, some scholars have been identified as critiquing this model used in the study including Clark Pugh & Mallory (1997, p. 605 - 23) and Petersen & Pedersen (1997, p.117 - 34). The paper establishes that the internationalization models used in this study follow the life-cycle-process theory.