This paper explores the process that dynamically links the whys, hows and whats of supply
network internationalization. We propose a theoretical framework based on the
internationalization process literature and apply it to analyze nine case studies of Italian
footwear and apparel companies involved in relocating some segments of their supply
networks to Romania. Cross-case analysis highlights three different processes of supply
network internationalization: 1) traditional subcontracting; 2) co-ordinated subcontracting,
and 3) supply system relocation. Empirical findings contribute delineating the roles of the
technological knowledge needed to be transferred to run foreign operations, and of the
international supply network context of the focal firm to fully understand the process of
supply network internationalization. It is the different balance of such two variables that
explains why, moving from the first to the third internationalization process, companies can
make it harder for rivals the imitation of the whole set of managerial decisions underpinning
their internationalization strategies.
