Explaining the clustering of international expansion moves : A critical test in the U.S. telecommunications industry

This study distinguishes alternative competitive and institutional explanations of interorganizational mimicry by examining the clustering of U.S. telecommunications firms' 1995-95 moves into other Western Hemisphere countries. Mimicry of entry moves was more likely when both a focal firm and prior movers had large shares in the same domestic markets. More mimicry occurred among oligopolistic long-distance firms than among monopolistic local-exchange phone companies. Thus, mimetic international entry was strongly linked to the structure of domestic competition. © Academy of Management Journal.