Journal of International Entrepreneurship – 2015, Volume 13, Number 2, 96-117.
The moderating effect of exploitative and exploratory learning on internationalization-performance relationship in SMEs
Ivan De Noni and Roberta Apa
- The internationalisation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is an increasing phenomenon, but the effective advantages of internationalisation have been disputed yet. This study extends internationalisation research by focusing on learning perspective to investigate the relationship between the firm’s internationalisation and performance. Specifically, a path regression model is applied to examine how exploitative and exploratory learning is able to moderate SMEs’ exporting process to drive business performance. The differences in organisational learning are further investigated compared to domestic firms. The findings suggest that exploitation does not affect SMEs’ internationalisation–performance link, but it is likely a critical antecedent to efficiently move to global markets, while exploration plays a significant role to positively leverage the effect of international involvement on business performance.
Journal of International Entrepreneurship – 2015, Volume 13, Number 2, 118-137.
Partnerships as internationalization strategy: Russian entrepreneurs between local restrictions and global opportunities
Thomas W. Thurner, Mikhail Gershman, and Vitaly Roud
- This paper studies the small and often overlooked group of internationally created research-driven ventures and discusses their impact on Russia. Building on previously established networks which allow new knowledge-intense assets to be formed, these companies introduce novel products and processes to the Russian market and develop them further. While such ventures get access to knowledge generated outside Russia, they also benefit greatly from their partners’ ecosystems which allow them to avoid the obstacles in their home markets. Thereby, they increase their learning opportunities beyond the rather restricting Russian environment and learn much about international entrepreneurship.
Journal of International Entrepreneurship – 2015, Volume 13, Number 2, 118-137.
Entrepreneurial firms in traditional industries: Does innovation matter for international growth?
Valerio Veglio and Antonella Zucchella
- This research analyzes the impact of innovation in the internationalization process of small-medium enterprises in traditional Italian industries. Particular attention is paid to the role played by the typologies and sources of innovation in export performance, in order to detect which innovation drivers mostly impact on the export activity of Italian traditional small-medium enterprises. An exploratory investigation followed by an inferential analysis based on a sample of small and medium enterprises is developed in this study. The analysis highlights the positive impact of design innovation for these firms in their internationalization process, while other typologies of innovation do not play a significant role. Among the sources of innovation, our findings highlight important differences with literature findings for other types of firms. For example, among external sources of innovation, both formal and informal partnerships are not significant. This is also holds for some internal sources, like research and development, which usually play a major role in other firms. The findings seem to suggest that small firms in traditional industries follow different innovation logics in relation to their international growth opportunities.
Journal of International Entrepreneurship – 2015, Volume 13, Number 2, 153-168.
Models of Czech companies’ internationalization
Šárka Zapletalová
- The opening of markets has created the potential for small and medium enterprises expansion and investment. There have been several theories and conceptual frameworks that seek to explore a company’s decision to initiate the internationalization process. International business literature most frequently deals with two main types of internationalization models: the stage model and the early internationalization model. The purpose of this paper is to review selected methodological approaches concerning internationalization processes and related internationalization models, and on this background, it aims to investigate internationalization models of Czech companies. The companies included in the study are those that have already undertaken internationalization activities and are incorporated in the Czech Republic. A total of 297 enterprises participated in the study and the main primary data collection instrument was a questionnaire-interview. The findings of the analysis of the internationalization process of Czech companies show that the level and degree of companies’ internationalization is still relatively low. The research also shows that most Czech companies fall within the category of gradually globalizing companies.