Expansion and internationalization of business companies in Brazil: theoretical/methodological contributions

This paper presents the special issue of the Journal of Evolutionary Studies in Business about the internationalization of Brazilian companies. The text aims to shed light on both traditional and new theories of internationalization in order to analyze the trajectories of Brazilian multinationals in light of the world economic scenario of recent decades. This special issue presents five cases of internationalization of Brazilian companies: Embraer, in the aviation sector; WEG, a producer of electric motors; Expocaccer, a coffee cooperative; Gerdau, a company in the steel sector; and Romi, a producer of lathes, machines, and equipment. This introductory article intends to recover theoretical elements about the internationalization of firms and underline the role of the State in the development of Brazilian companies