ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY AND INTERNATIONALIZATION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OFF INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTION

Abstract

Knowledge is a valuable organizational resource that has deserved attention in
academic studies in latest decades. Absorptive Capacity (ACAP) shows the
recognition and appropriation of external knowledge by companies to develop
competitive advantages. Recent studies have addressed ACAP associated with
different topics and areas of knowledge. The article aimed to identify and analyze the
contributions of the main international studies published from 2010 to 2019 on
absorptive capacity and internationalization. A systematic review of the literature was
carried out with a detailed analysis of the studies published in that period. The
quantitative method and survey were used as the main data collection techniques in
most of the investigated articles. The main results indicate the absorptive capacity
being used as a theoretical lens to explain the process of internationalization of
companies under several aspects. The most explored themes that emerged were:
organizational ambidexterity, as a competitive contextual factor associated with
international exploration and exploitation; ACAP, as a mediator of internationalization;
ACAP, as a driver of innovation abroad; research centers being relevant in the search
for external knowledge; and internationalization increases ACAP in clusters.