The acquisitions of brands by companies have become more frequent, representing a significant and effective way for firms to reach international new markets. This recent trend has led to a rise in rebranding, particularly in the business-to-business (B2B) sector. Since marketing literature primarily focuses on B2C brand strategies, literature on the field constantly overlooks B2B characteristics. This is sorely needed, because, despite massive investments, many acquisitions fail, especially international acquisitions where one faces cross-country differences. This is unsurprising because most companies' M&A considerations do not place much weight on brand strategy, and brand equity is typically not handled very well but is often treated as an after-thought compared to more pressing financial matters (e.g. how rebranding affects stock returns) and operational matters (e.g. descriptions of enablers and barriers to the rebranding process). Previous studies in this field emphasise how to do rebranding. However, they treat the brand itself as a black box —it is only how you execute the B2B rebranding process that is investigated, not which dimensions of the customer's brand knowledge should be prioritised. This is unfortunate, because rebranding an acquired brand without an idea of the desired end result is like navigating without a destination —even if you execute well, you will most likely not end up where you need to be. This paper addresses this gap by providing insights into the significant factors that drive B2B rebranding strategies, focusing on the transfer of brand equity from the acquired B2B brand to the acquiring company's brand.This study was conducted in one B2B firm going through rebranding process in the life science sector. Getinge was founded in 1904 in Sweden and is a global medical technology firm. The company provides equipment and systems in the healthcare and life sciences sector and has become a global leader in the field of Surgical Workflow. The international growth has been possible through incorporating new innovative offerings. These have been both internally developed, but also acquired internationally. A significant number of international acquisitions have been made throughout the years. In 2021 the company employed over 10,000 people worldwide, with products marketed in over 135 countries.Besides being one of the most valued companies in the sector, Getinge was chosen since the firm has initiated a rebranding process after a long-time international growth strategy, including acquisitions of many different international brands. Moreover, since B2B companies commonly rely on corporate, rather than product branding. Getinge is an appropriate choice since this study, therefore, focuses on a company that uses the same name for its company and its products.By examining an in-depth single case study of a multinational B2B company in the life sciences industry, this paper contributes to the research in international rebranding by validating that brand equity is a relevant consideration for B2B rebranding processes. Specifically, it argues that brand awareness transfer plays an essential role during the rebranding process, especially when it comes to external branding. Customers generally accept the new brand if the value proposition remains unchanged. However, they need to be made aware of the change to avoid confusion. Internally by contrast, the most significant challenge seems to be the transfer of brand image. Awareness is easy; during a rebranding process employees immediately become aware of the change. They however exhibit strong opinions for or against rebranding depending on their emotional connections to the old brand.These results extend the theory on international rebranding after M&As by demonstrating that the B2B context requires different prioritizations than consumer goods rebranding. The study shows how various stakeholders respond throughout the rebranding process. Firms can plan their rebranding process in mind that both brand image and brand awareness are important for brand equity during the rebranding process. However, firms need to prioritise one over the other depending on their specific audience (internal and external). Moreover, the realisation that awareness is a crucial success factor in B2B rebranding might help companies leverage brand equity in international M&As.

In this conceptual paper, we employ the explanatory future research approach to explore future perspectives regarding the legitimation of new business models of emergent technologies. Four alternative perspectives are described and discussed as a tool for guiding policy and action in response to challenges and opportunities.

Businesses worldwide are confronting a more internationalized market. With this trend, companies frequently turn to international branding and rebranding initiatives through the acquisition of companies to grow. During this process, businesses are updating their brand identity and/or strategy, while also dealing with various challenges. Studies focusing on these challenges on the B2B field remain little explored and are necessary, due to its highly competitive characteristic. Especially in the life science industry, due to its institutional differences between national markets in the sector. Therefore, the overall research purpose in this licentiate thesis is to describe and understand how the international branding and rebranding process is developed in the life science industry. In this thesis, two studies were made to achieve this purpose. One literature review to explore the current literature of the field and one empirical study using a single case study method. The main contribution of this licentiate thesis is to describe in-depth how the brand rebranding process is implemented in the life science industry, and its main hinders. They are: internal and external legitimation. More importantly, this study presents a framework that demonstrates how businesses in emerging regions face more external legitimation challenges as a result of institutional constraints, as opposed to developed countries, where internal legitimation barriers are more prominent during the rebranding process. This licentiate thesis contributes to creating knowledge in international branding since it provides an overview of the past years of research in the area and suggests research gaps that need further investigation. In parallel, it generates insights into the analyzed process of international branding and rebranding, bringing understanding into the corporate brand area and the management of B2B brands in life science industries. 

“The Chair” is a series that explores important contemporary issues such as cancel culture, institutional racism, sexism, and ageism in the context of a university setting. The series follows the story and struggles of Professor Ji-Yoon Kim, the first woman, and an Asian-American, to be appointed chair of the English department at the elite Pembroke University, as she tries to protect the employment of a young African-American female professor and to raise her adopted daughter as a harried single parent. This media review essay examines the themes and issues addressed in this TV series, including the challenges faced by women and the ways in which traditional models of education may be inadequate for engaging and retaining the interest of younger generations. The review essay suggests that this TV series could serve as a starting point for considering how issues of bias, cultural shifts, and commercial pressures play out in a university setting, and encourages further exploration and discussion of these important topics. © 2023, University of Rhode Island. All rights reserved.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to, first, analyze the past years of research on international branding and, second, building on an early literature review, to analyze patterns in the field and suggest future research.

Design/methodology/approach: The analyzed papers were compiled using the Web of Science and Scopus databases. The author searched papers published between 2007 and 2023 that used terms related to international branding in their title, abstract and keywords.

Findings: This paper structures and identifies key institutions, papers, regions and authors in the field. It provides an overview of the past years of research in the area. The study identifies important gaps in the literature and suggests further research dealing with, for example, the B2B sector and emerging markets.

Originality/value: Despite the increase in international branding studies, few literature reviews have been published since 2007. This review fills this research gap. It identifies future research areas dealing with branding in the B2B sector, branding in emerging markets, branding process and implementation studies using longitudinal methods and more practical research. © 2024, Manoella Antonieta Ramos.

Purpose: The purpose of this research is, first, to analyze the past years of research on international branding and, second, building on an early literature review, to analyze patterns in the field and suggest future research. 

Design: The analyzed articles were compiled using the ISI Web of Science and Scopus databases. The author searched articles published between 2007 and 2020 that used terms related to international branding in their title, abstract, and keywords.

Findings: This article helps academics interested in international branding in that it structures and identifies key institutions, articles, regions, and authors in the field. First, it provides an overview of the past 13 years of research in the area and suggests research gaps that need further investigation. Second, this article provides a quick reference for researchers and managers who want to become familiar with current international branding literature. Third, this research shows that the international branding area, though growing, still needs to become more pertinent to practitioners in the area.

Originality: Despite the increase in international branding studies, few literature reviews have been published since 2007. This review fills this research gap.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often face significant barriers during internationalisation. This paper aims to examine how formal industry clusters, defined as groups of similar firms in a specific geographic area, can reduce these barriers and enable successful global expansion for SMEs. It highlights the role of legitimacy within these clusters, a crucial aspect that can directly influence SMEs' ability to attract global partners and investors. The paper focuses on the life sciences industry within the developed contexts of Scotland and Denmark, through a qualitative approach involving interviews with 17 CEOs and founders of SMEs in this industry. The findings offer valuable insights by extending legitimacy theory, highlighting how industry clusters facilitate SMEs' legitimacy, and addressing challenges like resource accessibility, adaptations, and partnerships. It emphasises the dynamic relationship between internationalisation and legitimacy, noting its variability across different internationalisation stages.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are considered the foundation of economic and social development and provide a platform for industrial growth. For many SMEs, conducting the internationalisation process successfully is difficult due to limited resources and capabilities. Moreover, the process is hindered by the unfavourable institutional environment. To assist during this process, formal industry cluster's role can be considered an intermediary organisation helping SMEs expand globally. 

Industry clusters are groups of firms located in the same geographical area operating in the same industry with formal governance structures or formal membership of firms and other institutions. These formal industry clusters help overcome the hinders of internationalisation, by, for example, geographically concentrating a network of multiple firms to facilitate sharing networks and knowledge. Formal industry clusters can contribute to SMEs expanding their global reach and international opportunities. Furthermore, the legitimacy of SMEs within these clusters has an essential role during this global expansion since their perceived legitimacy can impact their ability to attract investors and partners, both locally and globally. 

There are multiple empirical studies on the topic in different countries and industries. However, little is known in developed countries from the life science industry perspective, particularly when examining multiple case studies. Despite the importance of this sector, which deals with improving human health and developing new medicines and medical technologies, focusing on the internationalisation of SMEs is extremely important. Moreover, considering different institutional environments, more research is needed for comparative studies.

Due to this context, this study addresses two research questions. First, what internationalisation hinders companies face in formal industrial clusters? And, how do formal industry clusters increase SMEs legitimation to facilitate international growth? To answer these questions, a qualitative approach was adopted with data collected through interviews with 14 owners and/or key executives from SMEs in the life science industry in Scotland. Additionally, three interviews were conducted with individuals responsible for organisations supporting these SMEs. 

Scotland was specifically chosen since the life science industry is significant for the country, with firms growing from £4.5 billion in 2014 to £6.6bn in 2018, and employment in the sector steadily increasing to 40,000 people. The selection of firms was based on multiple criteria, including firms from the same cluster and industry, size and age of the firms, and finally the international presence of the firms, in different stages.

This study offers insights into the patterns and hinders of the internationalisation process faced by firms in formal industrial clusters and their implications for international entrepreneurship. Moreover, it explores the hinders firms face in establishing legitimacy in international markets, and how they can overcome these hinders by joining formal industry clusters. Hindrances include market focus and adaptation to different ecosystems, political and regulatory uncertainties, global challenges and local context, intellectual property protection and partnerships, and collaboration of healthcare systems. Additionally, the study emphasises how formal industry clusters increase SMEs' legitimation for international growth by providing access to funding, expertise and industry connections, support for regulatory compliance and market approval, among others.

The findings of this paper have implications for international entrepreneurship, as they provide an understanding of the hindrances that SMEs face during the internationalisation process. By examining the life science industry in Scotland, this research provides valuable insights into the obstacles SMEs face in a specific context. Moreover, this paper has practical implications for policymakers, industry practitioners, and SME entrepreneurs, guiding overcoming hindrances and leveraging formal industry clusters to facilitate international growth.

This paper aims to examine how the brand integration process in a multinational enterprise is implemented, after the acquisition of many different brands, in different countries and the main factors influencing the implementation process. Brand integration can be initiated by MNEs after mergers and acquisitions (M&As) of brands, a common strategy for firms seeking rapid international growth. Connecting internationalization and branding literature, this study offers findings that explain how the brand integration process was implemented at an MNE, and its barriers cross borders. It also describes the strategies implemented to improve communication between the company’s employees and customers and the difficulties to deal with national and industry institutions during the process. Moreover, it provides a framework that illustrates the particular differences and barriers in emerging and developed regions, especially caused by institutional constraints. This paper contributes to the increasing interest in international branding and rebranding in acquisitions. This study views the rebranding process as an essential asset for a company’s development across borders. 

Purpose: This study describes how a multinational enterprise (MNE) gains acceptance after rebranding acquired brands from different countries among its internal and external stakeholders and identifies factors that influence this process.

Design/methodology/approach: The study employed a single case-study approach, including 18 semi-structured in-depth interviews with employees of a firm involved in the rebranding process in six countries. The countries are Sweden, Germany, the United States, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico.

Findings: The findings reveal how the MNE integrated brands it acquired in different international markets into one overarching corporate brand. The study shows that in emerging countries, external legitimation (external implementation process, country profiles and customer buy-in) constitutes the most significant challenge. By contrast, in developed countries, internal legitimation (employee buy-in and internal implementation process) is more challenging.

Research limitations/implications: The study contributes to and extends the rebranding literature by using a legitimation lens to analyze the rebranding process. This lens shows how internal and external stakeholders are both crucial to successful rebranding. The study provides a comprehensive perspective of the process, identifies challenging factors and differentiates between their importance in emerging and developed countries.

Originality/value: To address the dearth of research on how firms legitimize a new brand in different national contexts, the study compares the rebranding process in multiple countries and discusses the factors influencing the rebranding process.

The life science industry is rapidly growing, witnessing a substantial transformation with new products, regulations, and policies emerging. This dynamic environment, together with global competition, challenges firms to introduce new products efficiently. During this process, the legitimacy of these new products also emerges as a crucial issue, since their acceptance by different stakeholders and the following impact on the organisation is a critical concern. The success of launching new products is intensified during uncertain times and within uncertain regions, where economic fluctuations, global crises, or unanticipated factors can hinder the process. Since emerging economies face issues, such as weak infrastructure, changing institutions, and substantial resource constraints, they are a proper context for studying new product launches under uncertainty. The interconnected dynamics between new product launches, organisational change and uncertainty create numerous questions regarding what strategies and changes organisations must create to succeed in this environment. To address these questions, this research aims to investigate the main barriers faced during product launches in times of uncertainty and how new practices adopted by firms facilitate the legitimisation of their products in emerging markets. Using a case study method and legitimacy theory lens, we investigate the factors related to the launch and acceptance of these new products in different regions and countries such as Russia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. Our findings highlight the importance of organisational change in overcoming regional barriers and show that strategies like employing familiar cues and managing resource constraints effectively enable product legitimisation. 

Launching new products is a critical process for firms, especially in the life sciences sector, where different institutional environments must be considered. Despite the importance of the health sector, there is a lack of research on the new product launch process in the life sciences and the impact of national contexts on this process. This study used a case study approach to explore the launch process of a multinational enterprise across multiple countries. Thematic analysis of interviews with key employees from over 20 countries provided a framework for the challenges and legitimating strategies used in new product launches worldwide. We argue that new product launches are shaped by different factors across countries, with some patterns rising from emerging and developed countries. This study offers valuable insights for both theoretical and practical perspectives, as it contributes to the literature on new product launches by examining how different institutional settings influence the process. Additionally, this study includes institutional and legitimation theory, which provides useful theoretical angles for understanding international new product launches in the life science industry. Finally, the paper provides empirical evidence for the diffusion theory on the factors influencing the launch process of new products in the life science industry.

Extreme events can disrupt firms and cause stress or uncertainty resulting in the formation of an event chain, such as the creation of new policies or frameworks to respond to the event (Hannah et al., 2009; Morgeson et al., 2015). For example, 31.4% of export-oriented Scottish businesses were exporting less than usual, with 60% of businesses stating Brexit as the main reason for export challenges. COVID-19 has resulted in a decreased turnover for a high percentage of businesses across multiple sectors. 

Investigating the effects of extreme events on small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s)  is crucial since they are more susceptible due to their financial vulnerability, administrative burdens, and uncertainty (Bartik et al., 2020). To study this, we turn to Scotland's context due to the significant presence of private sector SMEs (Brown, 2020) and because it has been significantly affected by Brexit and COVID-19.

In this paper, we explore how COVID-19 and Brexit led to macro-level regulatory events impacting the Scottish SME innovation ecosystem. We analyzed data from Scottish EDGE (SE), the UK’s largest business funding competition. As SE’s primary purpose is funding Scottish SMEs, and SMEs in this competition are mostly about innovative endeavours, this institution was used as a proxy for the contextual conditions of Scotland's current and future innovation ecosystem.

This study aims to answer the following research questions: (1) How can a funding institution be considered a proxy for the innovation ecosystem? (2) How do disruptive or extreme events affect the proxies of innovation ecosystems? Using secondary data, we provide insight into the impact of macro-level stakeholders on the innovation ecosystem and highlight the importance of institutions in fostering current and future innovation and entrepreneurship, especially in Scotland.