Ambidextrous Learning and Survival of Early International Firms-The Role of Social Media Usage

Abstract

Prior studies show the importance of social media in facilitating both exploitative learning and exploratory learning. The central concern is how the usage of social media influences the blend of both exploitative learning and exploratory learning – known as ambidextrous learning – and the survival of early internationalizing firms. The theoretical discussion in this paper centres on international entrepreneurship, social media usage, and ambidexterity literature. We developed a conceptual model that explains the underlying mechanisms through which social media drives ambidextrous learning and survival. Collectively, these discussions are important to the advancement of knowledge on capability and survival studies in international entrepreneurship.