Abstract :
While firm internationalization processes have been understood as being dynamic, the
dimension of speed has rarely been the main focus of research efforts, which, until a
decade ago, focused principally on explaining sequences of entry modes and choices of
markets. The emergence of the study of international entrepreneurship has enhanced
the role of speed, although this has usually been measured in terms of the time lag
between a firm’s foundation and its initial international action, with little attempt at
defining and explaining the speed of the process once it is under way. This study reviews
the concept of speed from an internationalization perspective, describes the multidimensional
nature of the concept and sets out the different aspects that link timescales
with the types of changes – continuous and discontinuous – that take place during
internationalizing processes.The paper concludes with a research agenda as a guide for
future work on considering the role of speed in the internationalization process
