Are highly internationalized companies more sustainable? An empirical analysis in a regional context
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36517/contextus.2026.95977Keywords:
internationalization degree; green innovation; correlation; regionality; sustainability.Abstract
Background: In recent decades, driven by globalization and the climate emergency, the themes of internationalization and sustainability have gained prominence, stemming from the unsustainability of prevailing consumption patterns and the migration of productive capital across nations.
Purpose: In this context, this study aims to verify the existence of an association between the degree of internationalization and green innovation in exporting companies located in the municipalities of Uberlândia and Ribeirão Preto.
Method: The study analyzed 122 exporting companies from Uberlândia and Ribeirão Preto, measuring their degree of internationalization and assessing their product, process, and green innovation profiles. The relationship between these dimensions was examined using Spearman’s rank correlation test.
Results: The results demonstrated a strong and significant correlation between the Degree of Internationalization and the variables that comprise the constructs of green innovation in products, processes, and green innovation practices.
Conclusions: These findings corroborate this field of literature, demonstrating the relationship between internationalization and specific variables of green innovation in the context of regional companies, and also showing that more internationalized companies tend to be more transparent in their sustainable practices.
References
Albort-Morant, G., Henseler, J., Leal-Millán, A., & Cepeda-Carrión, G. (2017). Mapping the field: A bibliometric analysis of green innovation. Sustainability, 9(6), 1011. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9061011
Agan, Y., Acar, M. F., & Borodin, A. (2013). Drivers of environmental processes and their impact on performance: A study of Turkish SMEs. Journal of Cleaner Production, 51, 23–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2012.12.043
Amal, M. et al.(2013) Differences and similarities of the internationalization processes of multinational companies from developed and emerging countries. European Business Review, 25( 5), 411-428. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-08-20120048
Bansi, A. C., Andrade, A. M. F., & Galina, S. V. (2021). A relação entre internacionalização e inovação nas multinacionais de países emergentes. Internext – Revista Eletrônica de Negócios Internacionais, 16(1), 110–126. https://doi.org/10.18568/internext.v16i1.597
Borsatto, J. M. L. S., & Amui, L. B. L. (2019). Green innovation: Unfolding the relation with environmental regulations and competitiveness. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 149, 445–454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.06.005
Brasil. Ministério do Desenvolvimento, Indústria, Comércio e Serviços. (2023). Perfil das firmas exportadoras Brasileiras – Um panorama. https://www.gov.br
Brouthers, K. D., Chen, L., Li, S., & Shaheer, N. (2022). Charting new courses to enter foreign markets: Conceptualization, theoretical framework, and research directions on non-traditional entry modes. Journal of International Business Studies, 53(9), 2088. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-022-00521-x
Capar, N., & Kotabe, M. (2003). The relationship between international diversification and performance in service firms. Journal of International Business Studies, 34(4), 345–355. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400036
Cardoso, A. C. F., et al. (2008). O processo de internacionalização e os aspectos socioambientais: O caso Embraer. Revista de Administração da UFSM, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.5902/19834659578
Cheriet, F. (2003). Les stratégies d’implantation des firmes multinationales agroalimentaires. Discussion du modèle d’uppsala à la présence de danone en Algérie. Revue Française de Gestion. p. 45-64.
Chen, Y.-S., et al. (2006). The influence of green innovation performance on corporate advantage in Taiwan. Journal of Business Ethics, 67(4), 331–339. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-006-9025-5
Chen, Y.-S., et al. (2012). Origins of green innovations: The differences between proactive and reactive green innovations. Management Decision, 50(3), 368–398. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251741211216197
Carneiro, J., & Dib, L. A. (2007). Avaliação comparativa do escopo descritivo e explanatório dos principais modelos de internacionalização de empresas. Revista Eletrônica de Negócios Internacionais (Internext), 2(1), 1-25.
Dunning, J. H. (1988). The eclectic paradigm of international production: a restatement and some possible extension, Journal of International Business Studies. 19, 50-84, https://doi.org/10.1057/PALGRAVE.JIBS.8490372
Fleury, A., & Fleury, M. T. L. (2007). Internacionalização e os países emergentes. Atlas.
Floriani, D. E. (2010). O grau de internacionalização, as competências e o desempenho da PME Brasileira (Doctoral dissertation, Universidade de São Paulo).
Garcia, R., & Calantone, R. (2016). A critical look at technological innovation typology and innovativeness terminology: A literature review. The Journal of Product Innovation Management, 19(2), 110–132. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-5885.1920110
Gil, A. C., Klink, J. J., & Santos, R. E. (2004). Gestão para o desenvolvimento da regionalidade. In I Seminário.
Gomes, C. M. P., (2020). Deslocamento e hierarquia da produção global de riqueza: Efeitos econômicos e sociais em países selecionados da América Latina e Ásia. Dissertação apresentada ao Programa de PósGraduação em Economia do Instituto de Economia e Relações Internacionais da Universidade Federal de Uberlândia.
Gorostidi-Martinez, H., & Zhao, X. (2017). Strategies to avoid liability of foreignness when entering a new market. Journal of Advances in Management Research, 14(1), 46-68. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAMR-09-2016-0067
Grant, R. M. (1987). Multinationality and performance among British manufacturing companies. Journal of international business studies, 18(3), 79-89.
Grant, R. M., et al. (2017). Diversity, diversification and profitability among British manufacturing companies, 1972–1984. Academy of Management Journal, 31(4), 771–801. https://doi.org/10.5465/256338
Guinot, J., et al. (2022). Understanding green innovation: A conceptual framework. Sustainability, 14(10), 5787. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14105787
Hassel, A., et al. (2003). Two dimensions of the internationalization of firms. Journal of Management Studies, 40(3), 705–723.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6486.00357
Hennart, J. F. (2011). A theoretical assessment of the empirical literature on the impact of multinationality on performance. Global Strategy Journal, 1(1‐2), 135-151.
Hojnik, J., & Ruzzier, M. (2016). The driving forces of process eco-innovation and its impact on performance: Insights from Slovenia. Journal of cleaner production, 133, 812-825.
Hsueh, S.-L. (2013). A multimethodology contractor assessment model for facilitating green innovation: The view of energy and environmental protection. The Scientific World Journal, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/624340
Huang, J.-W., & Li, Y.-H. (2017). Green innovation and performance: The view of organizational capability and social reciprocity. Journal of Business Ethics, 145(2), 309–324. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2903-y
Huang, X., Qu, X., Manita, R., & Li, W. (2026). Corporate Internationalization and Green Innovation. Journal of International Financial Management & Accounting. https://doi.org/10.1111/jifm.70011
Johanson, J., & Vahlne, J.E. (1977). The internationalization process of the firm a model of knowledge development and increasing foreign market commitments. Journal of International Business Studies, https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490676
Jung, H. J., Noh, S. C., & Chung, S. W. (2016). Maximizing the benefits of internationalization: the moderating role of labour flexibility. Relations industrielles, 71(2), 350-372.
Kelley, T. (2005). The ten faces of innovation: IDEO's strategies for beating the devil’s advocate & driving creativity throughout your organization (1ª ed.). Doubleday.
Kumar, V., Borah, S. B., Sharma, A., & Akella, L. Y. (2021). Chief marketing officers’ discretion and firms’ internationalization: An empirical investigation: V. Kumar et al. Journal of International Business Studies, 52(3), 363-387.
Li, Y. (2014). Environmental innovation practices and performance: Moderating effect of resource commitment. Journal of Cleaner Production, 66, 450–458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.11.044
Liu, F., Wang, R., & Fang, M. (2024). Mapping green innovation with machine learning: Evidence from China. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 200, 123107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2023.123107
Liu, D., Yang, J., Zheng, P., & Lin, A. (2024). Research on the Impact Exerted by Green Innovation Corporations’ Internationalization Depth on Innovation Performance and Sustainability—An Empirical Analysis Based on Data from China’s Specialized, Fine, Special, and Innovative Enterprises. Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16219457
Lu, J. W., & Beamish, P. W. (2004). International diversification and firm performance: The S-curve hypothesis. Academy of management journal, 47(4), 598-609. https://doi.org/10.5465/20159604
Maioui, M. N.; Gassemi, K. (2021). The Internationalization of Companies: Structural Comparison Analysis between Behavioral Models and Economic Models. International Review of Management and Marketing, 11(2), 30. https://doi.org/10.32479/irmm.11038
OCDE. (2010). Manual de Oslo: Diretrizes para a coleta e interpretação de dados sobre inovação tecnológica (7ª ed.). FINEP.
Oliveira, J. I. C., et al. (2023). Aspectos regionais da inovação verde e da internacionalização: Um estudo em empresas Brasileiras.
Organização das Nações Unidas. (2018). Transformando nosso mundo: A Agenda 2030 para o desenvolvimento sustentável.
Oviatt, B. M., & MCcdougall, P. P. (2005) Defining international entrepreneurship and modeling the speed of internationalization. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 29(5),537-553. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.15406520.2005.00097.x
Peñasco, C., Del Río, P., & Romero-Jordán, D. (2017). Analysing the role of international drivers for eco-innovators. Journal of International Management, 23(1), 56–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intman.2016.09.001
Pereira, M. M. O., Do Prado, J. W., Antunes, L. G. R., Antonialli, L. M., & Tonelli, D. F. (2019). Eco Inovação: Estudos nas bases Web of Science e Scopus e tendências para pesquisas futuras eco-innovation: studies in the Web of Science and Scopus bases and trends for future research. Amazônia, Organizações e Sustentabilidade, 8(1), 109-128.
Pozenato, J. C. (2001). Algumas considerações sobre região e regionalidade. In Filosofia: Diálogo de horizontes (pp. 589–591). Educs.
Puth, M.-T., Neuhäuser, M., & Ruxton, G. D. (2015). Effective use of Spearman's and Kendall's correlation coefficients for association between two measured traits. Animal Behaviour, 102, 77–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.01.010
Qian, G., & Li, J. (1998). Multinationality, global market diversification, and risk performance for the largest US firms. Journal of International Management, 4(2), 149-170.
Rubashkina, Y., Galeotti, M., & Verdolini, E. (2015). Environmental regulation and competitiveness: Empirical evidence on the Porter Hypothesis from European manufacturing sectors. Energy Policy, 83, 288–300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2015.02.014
Ruigrok, W., & Wagner, H. (2003). Internationalization and performance: An organizational learning perspective. Management International Review, 43(1), 63–83.
Santos, M. B. (2015). Respostas estratégicas às pressões institucionais para a sustentabilidade e a sua relação com o grau de internacionalização (Dissertação de mestrado).
Chen, C., Han, J., & Fan, P.(2016) Measuring the level of industrial green development and exploring its influencing factors: empirical evidence from China’s 30 provinces. Sustainability. 8 (2), 153. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8020153
Shrivastava, P. (2018). Environmental technologies and competitive advantage. In Business Ethics and Strategy, Volumes I and II (pp. 317-334). Routledge.
Schumpeter, J. A. (1988). A teoria do desenvolvimento econômico. Nova Cultural.
Suarez-Perales, I., Garces-Ayerbe, C., Rivera-Torres, P., & Suarez-Galvez, C. (2017). Is strategic proactivity a driver of an environmental strategy? Effects of innovation and internationalization leadership. Sustainability, 9(10), 1870. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9101870
Sullivan, D. (1994). Measuring the degree of internationalization of a firm. Journal of international business studies, 25(2), 325-342.
Takalo, S. K., & Tooranloo, H. S. (2021). Green innovation: A systematic literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 279, 122474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122474
Tantayanubutr, M., & Panjakajornsak, V. (2017). Impact of green innovation on the sustainable performance of Thai food industry. Business and Economic Horizons, 13(2), 192-209. https://doi.org/10.15208/beh.2017.15
Tianrui, F., & Qianwen, G. (2026). Research on the Impact of Green Technological Innovation on Enterprise Internationalization: Mediated by Sustainable Development Performance. Global Sustainability Research. https://doi.org/10.56556/gssr.v5i1.1362
United Nations Trade, & Development (UNCTAD). (2025). World Investment Report 2025: International Investment in the Digital Economy. Stylus Publishing, LLC.
Welch, D., & Welch, L.(1996) The internationalization process and networks: a strategic management perspective. Journal of International Marketing, 4(3), 11-28. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25048656
Zhang, W., Zhong, X., & Li, X. (2023). The impact of degree of internationalization of MNEs on green innovation performance: The moderating role of absorptive capacity and global dynamic management capability. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2592
Zhang, K., & Deborah, G. (2024). Digitalization, internationalization and green innovation in China: an analysis based on threshold and mediation effects. The Journal of Technology Transfer, 50, 962 - 994. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-024-10116-3
Zucker, L. G. (1987). Institutional theories of organization. Annual review of sociology, 13, 443-464.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal: only for the 1st publication
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The authors, while doing the submission, accept the notice below:
We authors hold the copyright related to our paper and transfer Contextus journal the right for the first publication with a Creative Commons’ international license of the modality Attribution – Non-commercial 4.0, which in turn allows the paper to be shared providing that both the authorship and the journal’s right for initial release are acknowledged.
Furthermore, we are aware of our permission to take part in additional contracts independently for non-exclusive distribution of the version of our work published in this journal (e.g. publishing it in an institutional repository or as a book chapter), while acknowledging both the authorship and the journal’s initial publication.
We also certify that the paper is original and up to this date has not been released in any other journal, Brazilian or of another nationality, either in Portuguese or another language, as well as it has not been sent for simultaneous publication in other journals.
Last, we not only know that plagiarism is not tolerated by Contextus but also certify the paper presents the sources of passages from cited works, including those authored by ourselves.
1.jpg)
1.jpg){kind=small}
1.jpg)
1.jpg)
.jpg)
1.jpg)
1.jpg)
1.jpg)
1.jpg)
1.jpg)
2.png)
2.jpg)
1.jpg)
1.jpg)
1.jpg)
1.jpg)
