External legitimation in international new ventures: Toward the typology of captivity

This paper explores within the framework of new venture
legitimation how and why international new ventures acquire external
legitimacy and strive for survival in the face of critical events. Following a
longitudinal multiple-case study methodology that was adopted for the purpose
of theory building, the paper introduces the typology of captivity, and the four
types that have emerged: captive industry supplier, captive dyadic partner,
captive market leader, and free market leader. The effects of captivity types on
the acquisition of external legitimacy and its survival, on reaching legitimacy
threshold, and on the valuation of the venture are discussed and respective
propositions are put forward to guide future research.