De-internationalization, Re-internationalization and Business Model Innovation

This conceptual paper explores the relationship between de-internationalization and re-internationalization through the lens of the emergent business model innovation theory. Compared to internationalization, de-internationalization has been less researched and is a less understood phenomenon, and re-internationalization has yet to be studied systematically. Conjecturing that business model innovation moderates the relationship between de-internationalization and re-internationalization, the chapter maps this relationship and narrows its scope by focusing on the whys and hows of de-internationalization and hows of re-internationalization, discussing and explaining how firms building on their de-internationalization experience can reconfigure their business models to pursue re-internationalization, eventually aiming to further their international growth. The authors call on international business, international marketing and business model researchers to set and actively engage in a research program to study the intersection between de-internationalization, re-internationalization, and business model innovation in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world.