Structural inertia, imitation, and foreign expansion:: South Korean firms and business groups in China, 1987-95

The foreign expansion of firms is treated as an instance of organizational and strategic change shaped by structural inertia and imitation. A longitudinal analysis of South Korean firms in China shows that business group experience and imitation among firms from the same home-country industry increase the rate of foreign expansion. Industry imitation effects tend to decrease after a firm makes its first foreign entry.