International entrepreneurship in and from emerging economies

Abstract

The globalization has been one of the most important economic events of the last decades and this has caused a higher degree of integration and interdependence between countries, with a clear increase in the volume of international businesses. Within this context, not only multinational enterprises have international orientations; new and smaller firms (SMEs) are also forced to extend the scope of their business because they face a large number of international competitors into a much wider market. Although SMEs are a major source of growth and job creation, SMEs appear to be underrepresented in the international economy relative to their contribution in national and local economies (European Commission 2015). Many SMEs have advanced on their internationalization processes and many countries are adopting specific policies and programs to enhance SMEs’ internationalization potentials to encourage their further participation in global markets. Both private and public sectors are playing important roles in helping SMEs to be more active in international trade (OECD 2005) and develop active networks for their internationalization (Felzensztein et al. 2015; European Commission 2014). From a strategic point of view, internationalization is a key factor in business success, especially in SMEs that have a high-growth prospect. We know that both networks and entrepreneurial orientation can actively help small firm internationalization (Felzensztein et al. 2015). These two topics are important and still much disputed aspect of small firm internationalization (Dimitratos et al. 2010, 2014). Understanding them can provide important insights for entrepreneurs that are choosing their internationalization strategies as well as for the institutions that may support them, such as export promotion agencies, and trade associations. In some emerging economies, like those in the Latin American context, there is a tendency to provide incentives to openness to new markets and to foster the SMEs’ J Int Entrep (2016) 14:5–7 DOI 10.1007/s10843-016-0175-y