Explaining the internationalization pathways of family firms: a qualitative research

This study aims to gain a deeper understanding of the internationalisation pathways of family firms and to explain the main differences among them through the study of two large firms in the Italian roasting sector. The analysis shows that the internationalisation pathway of these firms differs in a substantial way in regards to all three dimensions of the degree of internationalisation (scale, scope and time), even if the firms operate in the same industry and have the same size. The three factors that seem to explain fairly well the different internationalisation pathways of the two investigated firms are the mentality of family founder, the firms’ strategic approach and the place where the firm operates.