Born Global Maturity: Strategic Aspects and Performance Consequences

Born global firms (BGs) contribute significantly to economic growth, but few studies have examined the post-internationalization stage of BGs. In addition, studies of the impact of changes in strategic aspects as BGs mature on BG performance and survival have yielded conflicting results. To address this gap in knowledge, the present study examines the relationships between intelligence generation and innovation orientation, and branding strategies as moderated by maturity. The data were received from 133 senior managers of BGs of various ages. The analysis shows that BG maturity negatively moderates the relationship between intelligence generation and functional branding strategy but does not influence the relationships of innovation orientation with branding strategies. Furthermore, emotional branding showed stable association with both financial and market performance indicators. This study demonstrates that maturity affects the orientations and performance of BGs and calls for a reassessment of the competitive international strategy of BGs at the post-entry stage.