Internationalization of emerging-economy new ventures: The role of within-country differences

New ventures are increasingly internationalizing from emerging economies, but the role of their home country and any associated within-country regional differences are not well understood. In this article, we look at a new venture in China and how its headquartered region promotes its internationalization. We present empirical evidence that shows the interrelatedness between a venture’s region and internationalization: When institutional development in a region is strong, the impact of foreign firm presence on venture internationalization becomes even stronger. We discuss implications for managers of multinational enterprises and new ventures operating in emerging economies as well as policymakers in these economies.     

Social networks and speed of new venture internationalization during institutional transition: A conceptual model

This paper examines the role of social networks in the internationalization process of new ventures in the context of transition economies. We introduce a conceptual model in which the relationship between various dimensions of an entrepreneur’s network and new venture internationalization speed is contingent upon a country’s stage of institutional transition. We theorize that strong national ties and weak international ties, accessible through brokers, contribute to speedier new venture internationalization in contexts characterized by fundamental institutional upheaval. We also theorize that the value of various structural aspects of an entrepreneur’s network changes as transition progresses.     

New Venture Performance in Transition Economies from Different Institutional Perspectives

Building on institutional theory, this study examines the effects of dysfunctional competition and government ties on new venture performance in transition economies. And, it goes deeper to investigate how these effects are contingent on a new venture's entrepreneurial orientation (EO). It finds that EO weakens the negative relationship between dysfunctional competition and new venture performance but exacerbates the negative linkage of government ties to new venture performance. The findings not only illustrate how government impacts new venture performance in transition economies, but also indicate that new ventures can leverage entrepreneurship to cope with the effects of government‐related factors.     

Internationalization and value orientation of entrepreneurial ventures—a Latin American perspective

Entrepreneurial ventures from Latin American emerging economies are underexplored on the current international entrepreneurship literature. This paper is aimed to contribute empirical evidence on entrepreneurial ventures from Latin American emerging economies and their internationalization and value orientation. Based on the 2009 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data, we found that institutional voids on Latin American emerging economies were a double-edge sword: on one hand, inefficient and unregulated markets make ventures from Latin American emerging economies encounter the liability of their country of origin; on the other hand, less active governments and absence of influential NGOs alternatively trigger more social entrepreneurial opportunities, with some of them across the national border. Some entrepreneurs from Latin American emerging economies have been active in exploiting those international social opportunities. International social entrepreneurship can be regarded as an alternative solution to social problems which governments, NGOs, or for-profit ventures fail to tackle on Latin American emerging economies.     

Entrepreneurs as prime targets: Insights from Mexican ventures on the link between venture visibility and crime of varying severity

This study addresses entrepreneurs as targets of crime. Leveraging insights from strategic responses to institutional pressures as the main theoretical frame, coupled with supporting insights from routine activities theory and interview data from 14 entrepreneurs who have been victims of crime, we introduce entrepreneur-led ventures becoming targets of crime via their engagement in routine activities that increase venture visibility. We then conceptualize that crime severity pushes entrepreneurs toward venture visibility-reduction responses, such as truncating growth, relocating, or discontinuing the venture. Survey data from 87,486 legally registered entrepreneur-led ventures in Mexico provide strong support for the relationships in our theoretical model. We find that as routine venture activities increase, entrepreneurs encounter crime of increasing severity, with the routine venture activity of making transactions at a bank serving as the strongest attractor of crime. Building on these findings, we observe an indirect effect through crime severity such that the choice to relocate the venture is the most likely response to being targeted by criminals. Our results advance the literature at the intersection of crime and entrepreneurship, especially in developing economies, and offers venture visibility as a mechanism that shapes both criminals' targeting of ventures and entrepreneurs' attempts to reduce being targeted.     

The exemplar enigma: New venture image formation in an emergent organizational category

We examine the process of organizational image formation for new ventures entering an emerging organizational category. An emerging organizational category is usually initiated by a pioneering venture that adopts a new organizational form. If that venture garners early recognition, it serves as an exemplar, attracting other ventures to enter the emerging category. Those ventures then have to formulate an image that both accounts for and competes with that of the category exemplar. This article describes how ventures form their images in the face of this tension. We examine this tension using qualitative data from eight new U.S. venture accelerators entering the emergent venture accelerator category, which revealed that image formation in an emerging organizational category involves three basic considerations: (1) emulation, (2) experimentation, and (3) divergence. Through emulation, organizations observe and rely on the exemplar in order to capture legitimacy. Through experimentation, organizations consider who they are beyond the exemplar and how they might change. Through divergence, organizations definitively claim and establish a unique image. From this, a conceptual framework is proposed in which organizational and contextual factors influence image formation actions and decisions.     

Home country institutions,social value orientation,and the internationalization of ventures

We examined how home country formal institutions and the venture’s value orientation influenced the venture’s likelihood of internationalization based on a data set that was adapted from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) data in the year 2009, covering 7668 individual ventures in 25 countries. Better-developed home country formal institutions are found to have a supportive impact on the venture’s likelihood of internationalization. The supportive impact is also found to be weaker for socially oriented ventures than for profit-oriented ventures. The venture’s social value orientation negatively moderates the home country formal institutions–likelihood of internationalization relationship. The negative moderating effects can be explained as follows: Socially oriented ventures in the better-developed home country institutional environment are less likely to develop coping skills against uncertain and risky institutional environments, which are common in their host countries. Besides the theoretical contributions, this paper also highlights the implications for both business researchers and policy makers.     

Effectuation,Exploratory Learning and New Venture Performance: Evidence from China

This paper examines the effect of effectuation on new venture performance in the context of Chinese transitional economy. To determine how new ventures benefit from effectuation, we examine the role of exploratory learning as a key mediator. Using data from 266 Chinese new ventures, our results show that effectuation has a positive effect on new venture performance. Exploratory learning plays a fully mediating role in the relationship between effectuation and new venture performance. This empirical evidence contributes to the development of the theory of effectuation and also provides managerial guidelines for new ventures facing uncertain business environments like transitional economies.     

创业网络与新企业绩效:组织合法性的中介作用及其启示

基于整合制度理论与社会网络视角,从政治网络、投资者网络和顾客关系网络三个方面提出并检验组织合法性在创业网络与新企业绩效关系间的中介效应。基于209份新企业数据,通过多元回归方法对研究假设进行检验,结果显示:政治网络、投资者网络、顾客关系网络与组织合法性正相关;政治网络与新企业绩效关系不显著,投资者网络、顾客关系网络与新企业绩效正相关;组织合法性在顾客关系网络与新企业绩效关系间存在部分中介效应,在投资者网络与新企业绩效关系间存在完全中介效应。     

The internationalization of entrepreneurial firms from emerging economies: The roles of institutional transitions and market opportunities

This paper examines the influence of institutional transitions and market opportunities in emerging economies on the internationalization of entrepreneurial firms from these economies. We conceptualize and examine a three-stage model of institutional transition in emerging economies, and their effects on the internationalization strategies of new venture firms. Propositions are developed in examining how the different stages of the institutional transition can influence the strategic choices for the internationalization of new venture firms. In responding to the calls for more research on institutions and international entrepreneurship, this paper is an attempt extending the linkages between the two to the context of emerging economies. The paper also has managerial implications for entrepreneurs and the associated policy implications in international entrepreneurship.     

How On‐the‐Job Embeddedness Influences New Venture Creation and Growth

This study aims to answer why some employees choose to start their own ventures, whereas others choose to seek jobs in other organizations after leaving their current employment. Drawing insights from knowledge‐based view and social capital theory, we examine the impact of on‐the‐job embeddedness on the decision of employee entrepreneurship, industry choice, and new venture growth. We argue that on‐the‐job embeddedness provides key resources for employees to start new ventures and grow them. We test our hypotheses with Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics (PSED) data. Our results show that on‐the‐job embeddedness increases the probability of employees becoming entrepreneurs. Once they decide to become entrepreneurs, those employees with high on‐the‐job embeddedness are more likely to start new ventures in the industry in which they worked before. Moreover, employees' on‐the‐job embeddedness has a positive impact on new venture growth.     

Networking Ability and the Financial Performance of New Ventures: Moderating Effects of Venture Size,Institutional Environment,and Their Interaction

Building on prior research, this study provides insights on the complex interaction between individual, organizational, and environmental factors in the field of new venture success. Specifically, we develop and test hypotheses on how venture size, institutional context, and their interaction moderate the effect of entrepreneurs' networking ability on the financial performance of new ventures. Based on a sample of 283 new ventures in Germany and Brazil—two countries that differ significantly in terms of their institutional frameworks—our analyses reveal moderating effects of venture size and the interaction between venture size and institutional environment.     

The research frontier on internationalization of social enterprises

Social enterprises (SEs) are hybrid organizations that simultaneously pursue financial and social goals, while addressing institutional voids. Despite the extensive cross-border activities of SEs, the state of research addressing such flows of funds, technology and personnel is undeveloped. In this introductory article, we discuss the unique aspects of SEs and explore how the international business literature can inform our understanding of their internationalization. We outline promising areas for future research related to the drivers of and the processes underlying SE internationalization as well as its consequences. With this as a background, we introduce the five articles in this Special Issue.     

Will the startup succeed in your eyes? Venture evaluation of resource providers during entrepreneurs' informational signaling

Experienced founders and investors are arguably the venture community members most likely to possess needed financial and social resources for startups. We present a model of venture evaluation where entrepreneurs solicit these resource providers for needed financial and social resources. Our model addresses how resource providers' venture investment propensity influences their evaluation of entrepreneurs' informational signals and how their venture evaluation predicts their willingness to provide financial and social resources. We test our model using real-time decisions and find resource providers with founding experience (both non-investor founders and investors with founding experience) leverage their investment propensity more than non-founder investors when evaluating new ventures. In addition, our post-hoc analysis reveals that resource providers' founding experience is associated with their willingness to confer social resources. Overall, this paper focuses on the perspective of resource providers and addresses how their investment propensity, types of venturing experience, and venture evaluation influence their willingness to render resource support to new ventures.     

Social ties and venture creation by returnee entrepreneurs

Recent years have witnessed the return of individuals of Indian or Chinese origin from developed markets to their home countries to start new ventures. Returnee Entrepreneurs (REs) facilitate both direct technology transfer and indirect technology spillovers to local firms, thus contributing to the technological development of emerging economies. Much previous work is based on the integration of ethnic entrepreneurs in their host countries or business activities of transnational entrepreneurs that traverse their host and home countries. This study explores the role of social ties in venture creation by REs. Based on twenty case studies in India, the findings show that (1) local ties are indispensable for venture creation, and (2) the heterogeneity in the way REs leverage social ties across the host and home countries is contingent on the location of their intention to start up and generation of idea for their venture. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Business models for people, planet (& profits): exploring the phenomena of social business, a market-based approach to social value creation

This article explores the hybrid phenomenon of social business, that is, both a form of organization and a practice that deliberately harnesses market dynamics to address deeply rooted social issues through the design and implementation of a core product or service. This new form of hybrid venture melds the social purpose traditionally associated with non-profit organizations with the economic purpose and market-based methods traditionally associated with for-profit firms. This exploratory research inductively explores the process by which social businesses are designed. The result suggests that clear intentionality around social purpose drives the design of these ventures and their associated missions and business models such that they can creatively synthesize competing paradigms (economic and social purpose) within one venture. The tight coupling of mission, method, and operationalization allows for the multi-stakeholder promise of the business model to be fulfilled.     

Creating sustainable international social ventures

International social ventures are now an increasingly common feature of the international business and social landscape in many countries worldwide. However, despite the increase in the number of social ventures and widespread interest that has resulted, theoretical development that deals specifically with international social ventures, or social ventures that operate across borders, has lagged behind, and there is little to guide potential social entrepreneurs thinking of setting up an international social venture. The aim of this article is to show how combining concepts from social exchange theory with international new venture theory can provide a useful conceptual framework that helps answer the central questions: What are the conditions for sustainable international social ventures? What difficulties are likely to arise in establishing such ventures? © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Stakeholder identification as entrepreneurial action: The social process of stakeholder enrollment in new venture emergence

There is growing interest in understanding the role of stakeholders—including financiers, employees, customers, suppliers, and communities—in the process of new venture emergence. We see potential to advance this stream of research by bridging a gap we observe between recent research on stakeholder enrollment in new ventures and longstanding research on stakeholder identification in established firms. To do so, we seek to explain why, how, and when, through social action, stakeholder identification and enrollment may (or may not) occur as an entrepreneur goes from an imagined opportunity to a new venture with enrolled stakeholders. To this end, we develop a model that conceptualizes stakeholder identification and enrollment as iterative, recursive, and constitutive social processes involving action in: refining and justifying to result in commonality with other actors; probing and positioning to result in mutuality with specific stakeholders identified; and enrolling and engaging to result in reciprocity with identified stakeholders. We argue that these social processes constitute the means through which opportunities are formed, specific stakeholders are identified, and stakes in new ventures are created and maintained, respectively. In doing so, we offer a more nuanced explanation of the dynamism implied in stakeholder identification and enrollment in emerging ventures.     

Organizational sponsorship and the economics of place: How regional urbanization and localization shape incubator outcomes

Organizational sponsorship impacts new venture emergence and survival prospects by shaping the relationship between new ventures and their surrounding environment. While extant literature offers an explanation as to why heterogeneity in the effectiveness of sponsorship emerges based on the sponsor's characteristics, current theorizing largely overlooks how sponsorship interacts with local economic conditions. This study introduces insights from urban economics to extend organizational sponsorship theory by showing how different types of agglomeration economies affect the effectiveness of organizational sponsorship. We test our hypotheses with a comprehensive database that includes over 46,000 sponsored and non-sponsored firms in the years 1997–2007. Our results reveal organizational sponsorship delays new venture exit when urbanization levels are low, localization is low, and both urbanization and localization are high.Executive Summary.Organizational sponsorship (OS) is an institutional arrangement whereby private or public entities provide assistance to new firm ventures. Since young firms face low survival chances at birth, it is assumed that any assistance such firms receive is to their advantage. However, very little research supports this assumption (Clayton et al., 2018; Dutt et al., 2016). It is in this context that we examine the impact of OS in different regional environments. Specifically, we look at the interplay between business incubation, a ubiquitous form of OS, urbanization, the city-scale of the region in which the firm is founded, and localization, the presence of same-industry firms in the region, in determining new venture survival. By exploring this interaction, we identify how the efficacy of OS varies in differing environmental circumstances. Additionally, it provides a better understanding of the specific OS mechanisms that are most likely to promote new venture survival depending on regional characteristics.For the purposes of our study, we combine insights from OS and agglomeration literatures. Specifically, we look at the interplay between the bridging, buffering and curating functions of OS with the externalities that arise from urbanization and localization. We consider the regional characteristics that provide new ventures with positive agglomeration externalities of input sharing, quick and quality matching with resource providers, and knowledge spillovers. Similarly, we also consider regional characteristics that give rise to negative externalities of rising costs and congestion. Thus, we identify urbanization and localization scenarios in which new ventures are most in need of buffering from competition, in the form of financial aid and subsidies, and scenarios where new ventures need to be bridged or curated with non-monetary resources such as accountants, lawyers, or industry-specific suppliers and investors. That is, we identify founding environments in which OS functions are most valuable.We test our hypothesis on a population of US business incubators operating between 1997 and 2007. To study the impact of OS at different levels of urbanization and localization, we compare the probability of exit by incubated new ventures with that of a control group of non-incubated new ventures in the same county. We find that incubators are most effective in improving the survival of new ventures when both localization and urbanization in the founding environment are low or when both are high.By linking OS literature with agglomeration literature our study identifies the conditions under which OS is most effective and finds that it is most effective when mitigating the lows of resource-deprived environments or the highs of a hyper-competitive landscape. We also extend the theoretical link between these two streams of literature by identifying the critical role of the OS function of curating in a highly localized and urbanized environment.Our study sheds new light on why OS is often met with varying levels of success in promoting new venture survival. We see that specific regional characteristics determine the type of OS mechanisms that are most beneficial. Thus, for instance, simply mimicking successful incubators in one region may not lead to success for incubators in other regions. Furthermore, we see that OS is counterproductive in regions with low urbanization and high localization. Together, these findings suggest that policy-makers need to consider the specific constraints faced by entrepreneurs in different regions before they seek to promote entrepreneurship through OS. It also stresses the need for entrepreneurs to do due diligence prior to joining an incubator.     

When social movements close institutional voids: Triggers,processes, and consequences for multinational enterprises

Our research builds on existing literature examining institutional voids in emerging economies. Using data from two cases of mining FDI in Argentina, we conceptualize the triggers, processes and consequences of informal institution-building by a social movement. We found the cases to exhibit different ‘community sustainability orientations’, enabling two contrasting strategies, ‘bargaining’ and ‘gatekeeping’, to address the existing institutional void. This led to the development of new formal institutions – regulated CSR for the former and legal ban on mining operations for the latter case. Our study thus offers insights into the processes through which institutional entrepreneurship by social movements influences MNEs.