Study goals
The objective of the article was to identify and analyze the contributions of the main international studies published from 2010 to 2019 on absorptive capacity and internationalization.
Relevance / originality
This work contributes to the fields of ACAP and internationalization studies, two constructs that seek consolidation in their theoretical perspectives These themes, when combined, bring important common elements in a way that lead to an understanding of the evolution of these studies
Methodology / approach
A systematic literature review was carried out with detailed analysis of studies published over a 10-year period.
Main results
The main results indicate the absorptive capacity being used as a theoretical lens to explain the process of internationalization of companies under various aspects The most explored themes that emerged were ambidexterity as a contextual competitive factor associated with international exploration.
Theoretical / methodological contributions
This work is distinguished by the identification of elements common to ACAP and internationalization constructs, such as the importance of external knowledge and partnerships, thus contributing to the identification of trends in future studies capable of relating these two constructs.
Social / management contributions
They identified a relationship of concepts of international networks and CA, linking innovation and performance, but little interest in internationalization. They indicated that this topic still has potential for further research.