Resumo

Internationalization is the process of increasing involvement in international markets, which can take place in many different forms such as foreign direct investment (FDI), joint ventures, IPOs, technology exchange and exports; encompassing different types of organizations, businesses from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to multinational enterprises (MNEs), universities, technology centres, government agencies and even several representatives from civil society, embracing local and international actors in a complex, multifaceted and ever-evolving ecosystem.

There are gaps in the literature that deals with business ecosystems, specifically focusing on internationalization and how different entrepreneurial ecosystems surpass geographic boundaries linking with other relevant ecosystems. Thus, the present work, through a systematic literature review and thematic analysis, aims to study the concept of internationalization ecosystems to assess the feasibility of a new theoretical framework to explain their nature, uniqueness and dynamics, in order to integrate an ecosystemic perspective into the modern International Business (IB) theories.

The concept of ecosystems refers primarily to biotic (living organisms) and abiotic (physical environment) factors, their dynamics and interdependence, which was adapted to the idea of business environment in order study and explain how different actors, both institutions and individuals, in a non-centrally organized economic community, but rather through informal arrangements, co-exit, thrive, innovate, cooperate and compete. Such concept can be extended to the internationalization phenomenon through different social, economic and cultural arrangements.

Despite being an ever-evolving theoretical and empirical phenomenon, internationalization is still open for new angles of interpretation, based on the constant socioeconomical, cultural and technological changes in the global arena. However, IB theories have not dived deeply into the internationalization ecosystem perspective yet, as it is perceived as a component of entrepreneurial ecosystems or innovation ecosystems, heavily influenced by digital technologies and platform ecosystems.

Internationalization ecosystem is a multidisciplinary theme, involving complex problems, several layers of actors, intense economic, social and cultural dynamics and an ever-evolving conceptual perspective. An internationalization ecosystem framework should embrace four ecosystem concepts: Business Ecosystems (traditional industries and clusters); Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (new ventures and disruptive business models); Innovation Ecosystems (The Triple Helix concept and its variants); and Platform Ecosystems (new digital business models on an international sphere).

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