Internationalisation of SMEs: does entrepreneurial orientation matter?
World Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development
ISSN: 2042-5961
Article publication date: 8 May 2017
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate entrepreneurial orientation (EO) as a predictor of internationalisation of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The key research question is “to what extent do the dimensions of EO (innovativeness, proactiveness and risk taking) predict internationalisation of SMEs?”
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopts a cross-sectional survey to collect data from 282 SMEs, with the use of a multi-dimensional self-administered questionnaire. All the measures in this study were adopted from existing instruments from previous studies and all showed a CVI above 0.8. Data were analysed quantitatively using descriptive statistics, correlations and hierarchical regression. The nature and strength of the relationships between the variables was tested using the zero-order bivariate correlation analysis.
Findings
The study establishes a significant relationship between the dimensions of EO and internationalisation of SMEs.
Research limitations/implications
This paper contributes to the corpus of literature on internationalisation of SMEs. Future research should consider the major constructs from a longitudinal point of view given that cross-sectional studies sometimes fail to examine the interaction effect of the variables.
Practical implications
The paper illustrates how EO dimensions can influence an entrepreneur’s decision to go international especially handling the process of internationalisation and its dynamics.
Originality/value
The paper provides contextual evidence from a developing country to the effect that as local investors get more inclined to EO, they in the process ease their way to joining the international business arena.
Keywords
Citation
Ngoma, M., Ernest, A., Nangoli, S. and Christopher, K. (2017), "Internationalisation of SMEs: does entrepreneurial orientation matter?", World Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, Vol. 13 No. 2, pp. 96-113. https://doi.org/10.1108/WJEMSD-08-2016-0039
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited