Switch industry or internationalize? Two boundary-crossing strategies in response to performance feedback

As an increasing number of firms explore beyond their original boundaries, the underlying significance and the lack of clarity regarding why firms engage in these activities raise the research questions of this study: Why do firms initiate cross-boundary strategies? What kinds of firms are driven to take these risks? Under what circumstances are they more or less likely to implement these strategies? Based on census data on firms in the emerging economy of China from 2007 to 2013, this thesis offers a synthesized theoretical framework concerning the motivations and reasons behind two boundary-crossing strategies, industry switching and internationalization.