IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ininma/v30y2010i6p512-520.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The role of the entrepreneur in identifying international expansion as a strategic opportunity

Author

Listed:
  • Santos-Álvarez, Valle
  • García-Merino, Teresa

Abstract

This research explores business internationalisation as a process of recognising and exploiting business opportunities in an international context and uses Spain's natural stone industry as a case study. We differentiate internationalisation into two stages: opportunity identification and subsequent opportunity exploitation. We focus on the initial identification stage to determine the impact of entrepreneurs’ cognitive variables when gathering relevant information for internationalisation of the firm, highlighting the role of entrepreneurs’ alertness, the centre of interest, causal logic, and prior experience. We also examine the importance of the entrepreneur's environment, social networks, and institutional setting. In our empirical analysis, we find that although interested in internationalisation, entrepreneurs in the natural stone industry devote very little time and effort to gathering information. As a result, decisions related to internationalisation are restricted by uncertainty and a poor understanding of the appeal, barriers, and available support services.

Suggested Citation

  • Santos-Álvarez, Valle & García-Merino, Teresa, 2010. "The role of the entrepreneur in identifying international expansion as a strategic opportunity," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 512-520.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ininma:v:30:y:2010:i:6:p:512-520
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2010.03.008
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0268401210000551
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2010.03.008?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. María Ripollés-Meliá & Martina Menguzzato-Boulard & Luz Sánchez-Peinado, 2007. "Entrepreneurial orientation and international commitment," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 5(3), pages 65-83, December.
    2. Hazeri, Afsaneh & Martin, Bill, 2009. "On the need for collaboration in KM education in the LIS sector: Some professional perspectives," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(5), pages 380-388.
    3. Kaish, Stanley & Gilad, Benjamin, 1991. "Characteristics of opportunities search of entrepreneurs versus executives: Sources, interests, general alertness," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 6(1), pages 45-61, January.
    4. Ardichvili, Alexander & Cardozo, Richard & Ray, Sourav, 2003. "A theory of entrepreneurial opportunity identification and development," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 105-123, January.
    5. Gary A Knight & S Tamar Cavusgil, 2004. "Innovation, organizational capabilities, and the born-global firm," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 35(2), pages 124-141, March.
    6. Booth, Marilyn E. & Philip, George, 2005. "Information systems management in practice: An empirical study of UK companies," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 25(4), pages 287-302.
    7. Morris, Michael H. & Sexton, Donald L., 1996. "The concept of entrepreneurial intensity: Implications for company performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 5-13, May.
    8. Ucbasaran, Deniz & Westhead, Paul & Wright, Mike, 2009. "The extent and nature of opportunity identification by experienced entrepreneurs," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 99-115, March.
    9. Jeffrey G. Covin & Kimberly M. Green & Dennis P. Slevin, 2006. "Strategic Process Effects on the Entrepreneurial Orientation–Sales Growth Rate Relationship," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 30(1), pages 57-81, January.
    10. Barnes, David & Hinton, Matthew, 2007. "Developing a framework to analyse the roles and relationships of online intermediaries," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 63-74.
    11. Sucheta Nadkarni & Pamela S. Barr, 2008. "Environmental context, managerial cognition, and strategic action: an integrated view," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(13), pages 1395-1427, December.
    12. Danny Miller, 1983. "The Correlates of Entrepreneurship in Three Types of Firms," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 29(7), pages 770-791, July.
    13. Zahra, Shaker A. & Korri, Juha Santeri & Yu, JiFeng, 2005. "Cognition and international entrepreneurship: implications for research on international opportunity recognition and exploitation," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 129-146, April.
    14. Scott D. N. Cook & John Seely Brown, 1999. "Bridging Epistemologies: The Generative Dance Between Organizational Knowledge and Organizational Knowing," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 10(4), pages 381-400, August.
    15. Patrick M. Kreiser & Louis D. Marino & K. Mark Weaver, 2002. "Assessing the Psychometric Properties of the Entrepreneurial Orientation Scale: A Multi-Country Analysis," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 26(4), pages 71-93, July.
    16. Jan Johanson & Jan-Erik Vahlne, 1977. "The Internationalization Process of the Firm—A Model of Knowledge Development and Increasing Foreign Market Commitments," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 8(1), pages 23-32, March.
    17. Casillas, José C. & Acedo, Francisco J. & Barbero, José L., 2010. "Learning, unlearning and internationalisation: Evidence from the pre-export phase," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 162-173.
    18. Etemad, Hamid & Lee, Yender, 2003. "The Knowledge Network of International Entrepreneurship: Theory and Evidence," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 5-23, February.
    19. Calderón García, H. & Fayos Gardó, T, 2004. "Análisis De La Relación Entre El Compromiso Exportador Y Las Ayudas A La Internacionalización De Las Empresas /," Investigaciones Europeas de Dirección y Economía de la Empresa (IEDEE), Academia Europea de Dirección y Economía de la Empresa (AEDEM), vol. 10(2), pages 201-220.
    20. Haukedal, Willy & Grønhaug, Kjell, 1994. "Context-specific rationality in sense-making of strategic stimuli," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 10(4), pages 355-367, December.
    21. Lumpkin, G. T. & Dess, Gregory G., 2001. "Linking two dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation to firm performance: The moderating role of environment and industry life cycle," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 16(5), pages 429-451, September.
    22. Johan Wiklund & DEAN Shepherd, 2003. "Knowledge‐based resources, entrepreneurial orientation, and the performance of small and medium‐sized businesses," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(13), pages 1307-1314, December.
    23. Haukedal, Willy, 1994. "Categories of strategic stimuli: Their implications for managers' sense-making of organizational environments," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 10(3), pages 267-279, September.
    24. Theresa S. Cho & Donald C. Hambrick, 2006. "Attention as the Mediator Between Top Management Team Characteristics and Strategic Change: The Case of Airline Deregulation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 17(4), pages 453-469, August.
    25. Ozgen, Eren & Baron, Robert A., 2007. "Social sources of information in opportunity recognition: Effects of mentors, industry networks, and professional forums," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 22(2), pages 174-192, March.
    26. Bill McEvily & Vincenzo Perrone & Akbar Zaheer, 2003. "Trust as an Organizing Principle," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 14(1), pages 91-103, February.
    27. Gaglio, Connie Marie & Katz, Jerome A, 2001. "The Psychological Basis of Opportunity Identification: Entrepreneurial Alertness," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 95-111, March.
    28. Tseng, Shu-Mei, 2009. "A study on customer, supplier, and competitor knowledge using the knowledge chain model," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(6), pages 488-496.
    29. Jeffrey G. Covin & Dennis P. Slevin, 1989. "Strategic management of small firms in hostile and benign environments," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 10(1), pages 75-87, January.
    30. Jan Johanson & Jan-Erik Vahlne, 2006. "Commitment and opportunity development in the internationalization process: A note on the Uppsala internationalization process model," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 46(2), pages 165-178, March.
    31. Gary A Knight & S Tamer Cavusgil, 2004. "Innovation, organizational capabilities, and the born-global firm," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 35(4), pages 334-334, July.
    32. Benjamin M Oviatt & Patricia P McDougall, 2005. "The internationalization of entrepreneurship," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 36(1), pages 2-8, January.
    33. Donna Marie De Carolis & Patrick Saparito, 2006. "Social Capital, Cognition, and Entrepreneurial Opportunities: A Theoretical Framework," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 30(1), pages 41-56, January.
    34. Wiklund, Johan & Shepherd, Dean, 2005. "Entrepreneurial orientation and small business performance: a configurational approach," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 71-91, January.
    35. Denise Fletcher, 2004. "International entrepreneurship and the small business," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(4), pages 289-305, July.
    36. Baron, Robert A., 1998. "Cognitive mechanisms in entrepreneurship: why and when enterpreneurs think differently than other people," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 275-294, July.
    37. Kimberly D. Elsbach & Pamela S. Barr & Andrew B. Hargadon, 2005. "Identifying Situated Cognition in Organizations," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 16(4), pages 422-433, August.
    38. Blumenberg, Stefan & Wagner, Heinz-Theo & Beimborn, Daniel, 2009. "Knowledge transfer processes in IT outsourcing relationships and their impact on shared knowledge and outsourcing performance," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(5), pages 342-352.
    39. Jane W. Lu & Paul W. Beamish, 2001. "The internationalization and performance of SMEs," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(6‐7), pages 565-586, June.
    40. Leonidou, Leonidas C., 1995. "Export stimulation research: Review, evaluation and integration," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 4(2), pages 133-156, June.
    41. Jeffrey G. Covin & Dennis P. Slevin, 1991. "A Conceptual Model of Entrepreneurship as Firm Behavior," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 16(1), pages 7-26, October.
    42. Baron, Robert A., 2004. "The cognitive perspective: a valuable tool for answering entrepreneurship's basic "why" questions," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 221-239, March.
    43. Yan Ling & Steven W Floyd & David C Baldridge, 2005. "Toward a model of issue-selling by subsidiary managers in multinational organizations," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 36(6), pages 637-654, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Salar Gholizadeh & Reza Mohammadkazemi, 2022. "International entrepreneurial opportunity: A systematic review, meta-synthesis, and future research agenda," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 218-254, June.
    2. Costa, Eric & Soares, António Lucas & de Sousa, Jorge Pinho, 2016. "Information, knowledge and collaboration management in the internationalisation of SMEs: A systematic literature review," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 557-569.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Erik Lundmark & Anna Krzeminska & Dean A. Shepherd, 2019. "Images of Entrepreneurship: Exploring Root Metaphors and Expanding Upon Them," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 43(1), pages 138-170, January.
    2. Farhad Uddin Ahmed & Louis Brennan, 2019. "Performance determinants of early internationalizing firms: The role of international entrepreneurial orientation," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 389-424, September.
    3. Valle Santos & Teresa García, 2011. "Business motivation and informational needs in internationalization," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 9(3), pages 195-212, September.
    4. Glavas, Charmaine & Mathews, Shane, 2014. "How international entrepreneurship characteristics influence Internet capabilities for the international business processes of the firm," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 228-245.
    5. Manuel Oyson & Hugh Whittaker, 2015. "Entrepreneurial cognition and behavior in the discovery and creation of international opportunities," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 303-336, September.
    6. Mojtaba Hosseini & Hossein Dadfar & Staffan Brege, 2018. "Firm-level entrepreneurship and international performance: A simultaneous examination of orientation and action," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 338-368, September.
    7. Sascha Kraus & Christine Mitter & Felix Eggers & Philipp Stieg, 2017. "Drivers of internationalization success: a conjoint choice experiment on German SME managers," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 11(3), pages 691-716, July.
    8. Gupta, Rakesh & Pandey, Ritesh & Sebastian, V.J., 2021. "International Entrepreneurial Orientation (IEO): A bibliometric overview of scholarly research," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 74-88.
    9. Anna Vuorio & Lasse Torkkeli & Liisa-Maija Sainio, 2020. "Service innovation and internationalization in SMEs: antecedents and profitability outcomes," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 92-123, March.
    10. Francisco Javier Forcadell & Fernando Úbeda, 2022. "Individual entrepreneurial orientation and performance: the mediating role of international entrepreneurship," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 875-900, June.
    11. María Ripollés-Meliá & Martina Menguzzato-Boulard & Luz Sánchez-Peinado, 2007. "Entrepreneurial orientation and international commitment," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 5(3), pages 65-83, December.
    12. Gonçalo Rodrigues Brás & Miguel Torres Preto, 2021. "The consequences of intrapreneurship in exporting firms: a structural-model approach," CeBER Working Papers 2021-06, Centre for Business and Economics Research (CeBER), University of Coimbra.
    13. D’Angelo, Alfredo & Presutti, Manuela, 2019. "SMEs international growth: The moderating role of experience on entrepreneurial and learning orientations," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 613-624.
    14. Kalinic, Igor & Brouthers, Keith D., 2022. "Entrepreneurial orientation, export channel selection, and export performance of SMEs," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(1).
    15. Knight, Gary & Moen, Øystein & Madsen, Tage Koed, 2020. "Antecedents to differentiation strategy in the exporting SME," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(6).
    16. Ciravegna, Luciano & Majano, Sara B. & Zhan, Ge, 2014. "The inception of internationalization of small and medium enterprises: The role of activeness and networks," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(6), pages 1081-1089.
    17. Tânia Gonçalves & Mário Sérgio Teixeira & José G. Dias & Sofia Gouveia & Ricardo Jorge Correia, 2021. "Commitment to exporting as an antecedent of organizational skills and firm performance," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 91(7), pages 1063-1084, September.
    18. Jörg Freiling & Christoph Lütke Schelhowe, 2014. "The Impact of Entrepreneurial Orientation on the Performance and Speed of Internationalization," Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Innovation, Fundacja Upowszechniająca Wiedzę i Naukę "Cognitione", vol. 10(4), pages 169-199.
    19. Krzysztof Wach, 2015. "Entrepreneurial Orientation and Business Internationalisation Process: The Theoretical Foundations of International Entrepreneurship," Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, Centre for Strategic and International Entrepreneurship at the Cracow University of Economics., vol. 3(2), pages 9-24.
    20. Nida Nazar & Sara Ravan Ramzani & Temoor Anjum & Imran Ahmed Shahzad, 2018. "Impact of Entrepreneurial Orientation of Bank Performance in Pakistan," Business Management and Strategy, Macrothink Institute, vol. 9(1), pages 290-309, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ininma:v:30:y:2010:i:6:p:512-520. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/international-journal-of-information-management .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.