| Abstract: | Abstract The purpose of the study was to explore, through secondary research, the potential influence of the top management (key decision makers) of firms on the degree of internationalization of firms in sub-Saharan Africa. More specifically, an attempt was made, firstly, to characterize the problem of low exports and low firm internationalization in Sub-Saharan Africa with a view to discussing the potential influence of the characteristics of key decision makers on firm internationalization. Secondly, to explore the competence theory and determine whether it could provide a viable analytical framework to facilitate future empirical investigations into the influence of key decision makers (top management) on firm internationalization focusing on sub-Saharan Africa. Previous studies on firm internationalization from different parts of the world including Sub-Saharan Africa were examined. The characteristics and behaviors of top management reported to relate strongly to high levels of firm internationalization and export performance were extracted. The literature on competence then was examined with a view to obtaining theory that would be used to integrate the various managerial variables, which strongly related to high levels of firm internationalization. The process of analysis and integration resulted into the development of the Competence Model of Firm Internationalization, which has been proposed. The analysis indicated that the top managers of firms had profound influence on the level and intensity of export activities mainly through the firms' production and marketing functions. The managerial implications of the findings and future research directions are discussed along with the limitations of the study. |
