Across borders and beyond boundaries: How the Olivetti Company became a multinational

Abstract

‘Ing. C. Olivetti & Co.’, the office machine producer founded in 1908, is one of the few Italian enterprises that was quick to set up a process of internationalisation both in European markets and in other continents. This article shows the evolution of Olivetti as a multinational business from its origins until the 1960s when the manufacturer was owned and controlled by the Olivetti family. It focuses on the role that ‘entrepreneurial cognition’ plays in shaping business as the company pursues new business opportunities across borders. It argues that the internationalisation of Olivetti was pursued in at least three ways: (1) as exploitation of entrepreneurial opportunities in response to major historical events, local and global tensions; (2) as the result of entrepreneurial perceived high self-efficacy; and (3) as consequence of heuristic decision-making processes.