Abstract:
The internationalization process of firms are well described in literature. The two
foremost methods for Internationalization are the Uppsala model (phased commitments
increasing over time) and the Born-Global model (immediate rapid expansion into
various markets simultaneously). Regardless of which method is used, the utilization of
market knowledge obtained from a Local Agent, is a key ingredient for a firm to develop
Dynamic Capabilities to successfully Internationalize. There is a paucity of research on
Internationalization in the MedTech industry, specifically regarding Internationalization
into the markets of the Middle East and Africa. Historical research has focused on the
internal perspective of the MedTech firm, or a complete external perspective. No
research could be found on the perspective of Local Agents concerning this process.
The current study aims to share the opinion of Local Agents on the Internationalization
of MedTech firms into the Middle East and Africa. The study followed an inductive
philosophy with a qualitative design. Data was gathered through multiple individual
interviews with key stakeholders.
The results show that Multinational MedTech firms do not effectively develop Dynamic
Capabilities to address the market opportunities in these countries through the utilization
of the knowledge they acquire from Local Agents. It contributes to the theory of Dynamic
Capabilities by applying the current findings to the three building blocks for the first time
in this industry in the MEA region. It also provides guidelines on structuring a
questionnaire for the future escalation of these findings into a quantitative study through
surveys across multiple settings.
