DescriptionIn this dissertation, I focus on factors that enable or deter the timeliness of divestitures while comparing foreign and cross-border business exits. I integrate the liability of foreignness, footlooseness, and home bias perspectives of foreignness to consider differing implications for both the timing of the decision to divest and the timely completion of initiated divestiture deals. In Chapter 1, I introduce the motivation and intended contributions of the dissertation. In Chapter 2, I review the literature on foreign business exit, considering de-internationalization, reshoring, and foreign divestment (FD), and offer a framework on proactive and reactive FD. In Chapter 3, I consider the role of foreignness, and the moderating influence of business relatedness and organizational learning and experience in adding to or removing deterrents to the timely completion of initiated acquisition and divestiture deals. Specifically, I focus on sell-side deterrents to deal completion, such as foreignness of sellers’ home countries vis-à-vis their subsidiary targets’ host countries. In Chapter 4, I consider the roles of foreignness and business relatedness in adding to or mitigating deterrents in influencing firms’ awareness, motivation, and capability to be early movers in industry divestiture waves. In Chapter 5, I discuss overall implications and suggest avenues for future research.