Multilatinas: Financial performance and speed of international expansion

Abstract

The phenomenon of Multilatinas companies has aroused the interest of numerous investigations in recent years. In particular, it has been studied why and under what conditions these organizations expand. However, the implications of financial performance conditions on the speed of international expansion of these types of companies still require further clarification and explanation. The objective of this paper is to analyze the speed of internationalization of multilatinas companies and the financial performance factors that affect their international expansion. For this, econometric analysis is carried out, using as dependent variable the speed of international expansion, measured as a ratio of companies’ foreign direct investment (FDI) and sales. As explanatory variables, the financial indicators of profitability, indebtedness and leverage are used. By this, it is possible to identify the relationship between financial performance and the rate at which companies grow in international markets. The size of the company, the economic sectors and the countries of origin of the companies are used as control variables. Results show that profitability and indebtedness have positive effects on the speed of internationalization; as well leverage with certain restrictions.

Keywords

• Speed of international expansion
• multilatinas
• profit ratio
• debt ratio
• leverage