How Internationalization Intentions Trigger Action in Pre-Startup firms

Abstract

We propose that internationalization intentions already exist before a company is established and that different configurations of intentions may lead to different internationalization behavior. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior, this study extends our understanding of individual-level antecedents of internationalization by developing a taxonomy of entrepreneurial internationalization mindsets. Our results show that early internationalization mindsets are predictive of internationalization behavior two years later. These findings provide a starting point for theorizing on pre-venture antecedents of internationalization behavior, for exploring different configurations of individual-level antecedents, and for comparing how these may evolve into internationalization behavior.