The role of digitalisation in firms' international value creation: an integrative conceptual framework and a research agenda

Abstract

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The new digital revolution promises to impact the way firms operate internationally even more profoundly than previous technology innovations have. This article reviews the most relevant literature on the intersection between digital technologies and international business to identify possible avenues of value creation in both the international and digital dimensions. Firms can achieve Digital International Value Creation by developing digital resources and using them in international value-creation opportunities. We identify three different value-creation paths that we label: International Going Digital, Digital Going International and Going international with Digital. Environmental factors and the attributes of firms moderate this value-creation model. We believe that our framework will help academics and practitioners to analyse the complex implications, of digital technologies in a global context, both their opportunities and their risks.