Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra says businesses need to expand beyond their borders to survive—especially in a world where the communication and transportation sectors are growing like never before.
“Maybe it was great once to focus only domestically, but for many companies it's no longer an option,” says Cuervo-Cazurra, a newly appointed associate professor of international business and strategy at Northeastern's. College of Business Administration.
“Like it or not,” he says, “your competitors can come into your market and increase the competition, and if you're not as good as them you can disappear.”
Cuervo-Cazurra's research focuses on how businesses in emerging markets can succeed by expanding into other countries. He recently returned from Brazil, where he advised food and beverage companies on improving their internationalization strategies, which may include repackaging products to rebrand them in global markets.
Internationalization, Cuervo-Cazurra says, gives companies valuable insights into new cultures, consumer bases and distribution methods, which often helps them improve their products at home—even if overseas expansion fails.
However, businesses in emerging markets seeking to expand globally face a unique set of challenges. As Cuervo-Cazurra puts it, “MNCs in developed countries like the United States have to deal with coordinating existing businesses. But the problems are bigger for those in developing countries, including how domestically focused companies move on the international stage and how they deal with the bad image their country may have abroad.
Prior to joining the Northeastern faculty, Cuervo-Cazurra served as an associate professor of international business at the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. He earned two doctorates, from the School of Economics and Management Sciences at the University of Salamanca in 1997 and from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1999.
Cuervo-Cazurra, whose scholarship aligns with the College of Business Administration's emphasis on global research, plans to work with the faculty criminology and law on his investigation into corruption in international business.
He was drawn to the North East for many reasons, including the University Center for Pop-up Marketscommitment to sustainability and signature partnership program.
Cuervo-Cazura, originally from Spain, was urged by his adviser at the University of Salamanca to study in another country. He says Northeastern's emphasis on international experiential learning opportunities is special.
“There is something unique here,” he says.
