Entrepreneurial Orientation and Internationalization of SMEs –Empirical Evidence from Developing Markets

Abstract

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) internationalization and entrepreneurial orientation constructs have dominated the entrepreneurship research domain. However, scanty research has made any attempt to empirically understand how entrepreneurial orientation (EO) of CEOs and senior managers of SMEs could influence their internationalization process. This study has addressed that gap by exploring the influences of EO on SMEs internationalization. Qualitative data was collected from eight CEOs and twenty-three senior managers from eight SMEs in four developing markets. Pattern-matching strategy is used to analyze the data by comparing several pieces of information from the CEOs and senior managers to theoretical propositions. The result of this study indicate that entrepreneurial orientation of CEOs and senior managers play a significant role in enhancing the ability of the SMEs to be competitive, innovative, and risk-takers, thus preparing the firms to be more proactive toward international business.