The Influence of Entrepreneur-level Determinants on the Rapid Internationalisation of Born Global Firms

Abstract

Born global firms challenge the traditionally established view on firms’ internationalisation, as they manage to reach international markets rapidly and keep their competitive position despite significant resource limitations and early stage of development. The aim of the thesis is to enhance understanding of the specifics of born global firms by investigating entrepreneur-level determinants of the rapid internationalisation of these firms. The study allowed to set a theoretical framework showing influence of entrepreneur-level determinants of born global firms on their rapid internationalisation. The framework illustrates two groups of entrepreneur-related constructs in an internationalisation literature – those which constitute the potential of an entrepreneur before starting a born global firm, and those which reflect the logic of an entrepreneur, his decision-making schemes throughout the internationalisation process. Study shows how the individual-level determinants influence rapid internationalisation of born global firms. The constructs described are often overlapping, what causes difficulties in interpretation in the international entrepreneurship literature. The thesis highlights the suitability of the integrated approach to the entrepreneur-related constructs which appear in born global literature. The topic of born global firms performance is still relatively new. Taking into consideration constant technological advances in communication and logistics and decline in trade barriers, the born global business model will become more popular worldwide. The field of born global firms research is dynamic and presents an interesting research area for academics and business practitioners.