The resource-based view and international business

The resource-based view (RBV) of the firm has become an influential theoretical perspective in recent international business (IB) research. Tracking the evolution of the RBV literature in IB, this article has three objectives. First, it documents the extent to which the RBV has diffused to IB research. Second, it explains the rationale behind such diffusion. Finally, it provides a state-of-the-art review of the substantive work through a proposed organizing framework, focusing on multinational management, strategic alliances, market entries, international entrepreneurship, and emerging markets strategies. Overall, a broad, expanding, and cumulative knowledge base is emerging to connect IB and strategy research through the RBV. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of such a development in the intellectual marketplace, with an emphasis on future research directions.