International Entrepreneurship: An Introduction, Framework and Research Agenda

This paper provides an introduction into the field of international entrepreneurship. A definition of international entrepreneurship and associated key concepts is given and the research domain of international entrepreneurship is described. A substantial part of the international entrepreneurship literature concentrates on the internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and new ventures. Based on an analysis of the existing literature the current paper provides a framework for the study of antecedents and outcomes of SME and new venture internationalization and presents a number of avenues for future research.

The effect of EU enlargement on the internationalisation of SMEs in the European Union; a Dutch perspective

This study focuses on current internationalisation and future international commitment of SMEs from the 'old' Member States in the new EU Member States. The results reveal that firms demonstrate a pattern of gradually increasing commitment in the new EU countries. Current experience with international activities in the region seems to be a key influence encouraging SMEs to be more involved in this region. The effect only slightly weakens if we take the positive link between human capital of the business owner into account.

Innovation and international involvement of Dutch SMEs

This study focuses on the relation between innovation and the international involvement of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), taking into account export as well as import activities of firms. The analysis is based on a sample of more than 1.800 Dutch SMEs using regression analysis. The results of this study suggest that innovative investments as well as several innovative realisations or practices have a positive impact on international involvement. Also, some evidence is found that international involvement may stimulate firms to investment in product innovations and in new distribution systems. �

Overcoming Resource-Constraints through Internationalization? An Empirical Analysis of European SMEs

Previous research has indicated that firms can use internationalization as a strategy to access or build up resources. Such a strategy may be of particular interest or even necessary (for example to survive or grow) for firms that lack specific resources. Based on resource dependency theory and the model for entrepreneurial internationalization this paper investigates whether resource scarcities in terms of labor, finance and technology increase the likelihood for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to aim to access or accumulate these specific resources through internationalization. A number of hypotheses are tested using firm-level data from the ENSR Enterprise Survey 2003 for 7,673 SMEs located in 18 European countries. The results indicate that perceived resource constraints in terms of labor and finance spur SMEs to undertake international activities with the aim to access or accumulate labor, respectively finance. It is also found that among internationally active SMEs perceived constraints in terms of labor, finance and new technology increase the probability of SMEs using their international activities as a means for accessing or acquiring these scarce resources.

Entrepreneurial Career Capital, Innovation and New Venture Export Orientation

This paper explores the role of entrepreneurial human capital, entrepreneurial social capital and innovation in explaining new ventures' levels of export orientation. We use Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data from 9,342 early-stage venture entrepreneurs in 36 countries. Our results suggest that both entrepreneurial human capital and entrepreneurial social capital are important in explaining new ventures' export orientation. Entrepreneurial human capital increases the probability for new ventures to offer new products or services. New ventures with unique products or services are more likely to export, indicating that entrepreneurial human capital both has a direct positive relationship with new ventures' export and an indirect positive relationship through the venture's new product or service offerings. We also find that compared to moderate exporters, new ventures with higher export orientation levels are more likely to possess entrepreneurial human and entrepreneurial social capital and to be more innovative.

Review: Internationalisation of Dutch SMEs

As globalisation increases so does the attention paid to the internationalisation of Dutch SMEs. The appearance of new players on the European market and on the world market means on the one hand that Dutch SMEs are being confronted with greater foreign competition on their domestic market. On the other hand, the same circumstances also create more opportunities for SMEs on foreign markets. This is reflected in the increasingly active role played by SMEs on foreign markets.

Internationalisation of Dutch SMEs

Whereas the Dutch business sector as a whole is among the largest exporters, importers and foreign direct investors, Dutch SMEs, as compared to SMEs from other European countries, occupy a position in the middle with respect to the share of enterprises that export, import or invest abroad. In the coming years an increase in the international involvement of Dutch SMEs is expected. In this report the following subjects are adressed: Overview of the internationalisation of Dutch SME's, the internalisation of Dutch SME's from an international perspective, and trends in internalisation. The results are based on data from the EIM- SME Policy Panel 2004, the ENSR Enterprise Survey 2003, expert interviews and a literature review.

Export Orientation among New Ventures and Economic Growth

While it is generally acknowledged that entrepreneurship as well as export activity may both be important strategies for achieving national economic growth, it has remained unclear how export activity among new ventures is related to economic growth. This paper investigates whether the presence of export-oriented entrepreneurs is a more important determinant of economic growth than entrepreneurial activity in general. We focus on the national or macro-level and use data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor for a sample of 36 countries. An important advantage of using the macrolevel is that indirect effects of exporting entrepreneurs that reach further than the performance of these firms themselves (e.g. spillovers) are captured in the analysis. To our knowledge, no attempt has been made thus far to link international activity of early-stage ventures to macro-economic outcomes. Our results suggest that export-oriented entrepreneurship is indeed more important for achieving high economic growth rates than entrepreneurial activity in general. This suggests that international activity by small and new firms strongly contributes to higher levels of competition and, consequently, to the emergence of highly dynamic economies and higher levels of economic growth.