Strong and Weak Ties of the Born Global Firm

Abstract: This paper investigates the characteristics of the relationships of the Born Global firm’s network and with what intentions they are established during inception and the phase of early growth. An in-depth overview of existing literature is provided and additional insights are delivered through a multiple-case study of four Born Global firms from the Öresund region in their early stage of evolution. The findings of the study indicate that the Born Global firms examined tend to utilize different ties depending on the occasion and what resources they wish to acquire, distinguishing between tangible and intangible resources. In addition, it shows that Born Global firms tend to use relationships from their networks that have been established with intentions of both social and economic character. Further, it is discovered that they network with underlying business incentives not solely for the purpose of finding specific resources, but rather to build a solid network base from which they can derive resources in the future. . The last key finding, presents an insight into the Born Global firm’s use of what is referred to as triangular reciprocity, which aims to illustrate that just because two parties cannot directly benefit from each other, it does not mean that they cannot commit to an exchange of mutual benefit.