Countertrade and the internationalisation of the Australian firm
- Publication Type:
- Thesis
- Issue Date:
- 1996
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This thesis seeks to broaden our understanding of the nature, causes and consquences of countertrade in the
context of the internationalisation of the firm. A
comprehensive review and assessment of previous research is presented, including a discussion of how countertrade fits within the context of the various models of the internationalisation process.
An analytical framework is presented for studying a
number of dimensions of internationalisation (viz forms
of international behaviour and international orientation) and possible causes and effects. The forms of internatioalisation invole outward, inward linked forms (such as countertrade).
Based on the literature relating
to internationalisation,
a number of
hypotheses
are
developed relating various management and firms' characteristics to predisposition to countertrade. These
were tested using both bi-variate and multi-variate
techniques which involved the use of data generated from a nationwide sample of Australian manufacturing firms.
Generally the results of the bi-variate analysis supported the hypothesis showing that the factors which predict outward driven internationalisation also tend to predict
countertrade. The analysis involved three
measures of internationalisation and four measures of countertrade.
Firms were then grouped according to various measures of
predisposition towards countertrade. Using discriminant
analysis, these groups of firms were profiled according
to factors found to predict countertrade in the bivariate
analysis. In order to further explore the relationship between internationalisation and countertrade, firms were also grouped according to their
degree of internationalisation and strength of their
predisposition towards countertrade. Firms in each group
were then profiled using bi-variate and multi-variate
analysis. These profiles provide potentially useful
classifications of firms as possible bases for targeting and designing government assistance programs.
Finally, three case studies of countertrade transactions
by Australian firms were undertaken using the network
approach which facilitates a deeper understanding of
countertrade in the context of internationalisation. In
each case the networks of relationships involved were
analysed at both inception and maturity, to further
explore how countertrade influenced the
internationalisation of the Australian firm. It was
found that although the transactions would not have
occurred without countertrade, in all cases countertrade
led to further international business which in some
instances did not require countertrade.
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