Rapid internationalisation in the virtual world: a configurational examination of mobile apps

ABSTRACT

Mobile applications are able to reach multiple markets instantaneously and simultaneously in cyberspace, with varying performances over time. The purpose of this study is to advance our understanding of this process and the internationalisation patterns in the virtual world. Based on the diffusion of innovation theory (DOI), we have developed a configurational model that relates the three elements of the diffusion process – innovation, communication channels, and social systems – to the speed of dispersion across multiple markets (breadth) at different adoption rates (depth) and over different periods (timespan). A fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) is conducted on a sample of 70 mobile games, which indicates that these elements have interdependent effects on rapid international expansion and play different roles in deeper and longer-term diffusion. It also demonstrates that rapid internationalisation in the virtual world benefits from communication and influence among users. This study contributes to the internationalisation speed literature by employing a demand-side perspective in the virtual world. It also contributes to the DOI literature by exploring the interdependent relationships among different elements of the diffusion process.

KEYWORDS:

• Internationalisation speed
• digital innovation
• fsQCA
• diffusion of innovation‌

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant [number 71872168]; and MOE Social Science Laboratory of Digital Economic Forecasts and Policy Simulation at UCAS.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data supporting the results or analyses presented in the paper can be found in appannie.com.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China: [Grant Number 71872168]; MOE Social Science Laboratory of Digital Economic Forecasts and Policy Simulation at UCAS: [Grant Number ].

Notes on contributors

Waner Xu

Waner Xu is a PhD candidate in the Sino-Danish college at University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. Her research interests include digital transformation, foreign direct investment and global supply chain.

Ping Lv

Ping Lv is a Professor in the School of Economics and Management at University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. Her research interests include Chinese outward foreign direct investment, cross-border merger & acquisitions from emerging markets, global innovation network. Her publications have appeared in journals such as China Economic Review, European Journal of International Management, Energy Policy, and Asia Pacific Business Review.

Dmitrij Slepniov

Dmitrij Slepniov is an Associate Professor at Aalborg University Business School, Denmark and Head of Educational Programme in Innovation Management at the Sino-Danish Center (SDC), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. He holds an MSc from the London School of Economics and a PhD from Aalborg University. Prior to starting his academic career, he held a position at the Confederation of Lithuanian Industries, fulfilling an analytical role as an economist and later as the Deputy Director of the Economics and Finance department. His current teaching, research work and publications focus on global operations and innovation, global value chains, upgrading of emerging market firms, servitization and service design. His international experience includes teaching and research programs in close collaboration with industry in Denmark, Lithuania, Japan, S. Korea and China.