Volume 27, numéro 1, 2024

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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can improve their export performance by co-locating with export firms from the same industry and country. However, the export implications are yet to be addressed systematically. This study investigates when and how women-owned SMEs convert their geographic proximity to home peers through social proximity and cognitive proximity into high export intensity. We develop a nuanced knowledge spillover perspective incorporating gender mechanisms to clarify the relationship between home peers and SMEs’ export intensity at the regional and national levels. To test our hypotheses, we designed quantitative research using a survey database from Statistics Canada, Survey on Financing and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SFGSME), with a sample of 9,977 Canadian SMEs. Our study shows that, among other things, home peers’ positive impact on SMEs’ export intensity is more significant when their owners are exposed to a larger number of relatively close same-gender home peers (i.e., same-gender regional home peers). Moreover, we show that such positive home-peer effects on SMEs’ export intensity are even stronger for women business owners than men business owners. We clarify our contributions by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of our findings. By demonstrating the significance of same-gender regional home peers for women owners, we contribute to the knowledge spillover perspective on exporting, emerging research streams on home peers, and women entrepreneurship research in the international entrepreneurship field. Our findings also suggest that women entrepreneurs can particularly benefit from government-funded export promotion programs when the programs are appropriately designed and promoted to women entrepreneurs.

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The relationship between international diversification (ID) and firm performance (FP) is among the best researched topics in international business. However, the findings on the role of firms’ home-country culture remain mixed, leading to repeated calls for broader cultural perspectives. We introduce the construct of cultural tightness–looseness and advance the conversation on the role of the tightness of a firm’s cultural origin. Drawing on 490 primary studies, we provide meta-analytic evidence that cultural tightness negatively moderates the ID–FP relationship.

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Global value chains (GVCs) involve globally dispersed activities among interdependent firms. They provide an avenue for developing country firms to improve their export performance. A dominant view is that they can accomplish this outcome with close or trusted relationships with more established GVC partners. However, other factors determine how much such relational capital translates into superior export performance. Drawing on an interfirm learning perspective, we explain why the export effects of developing country firms’ relational capital with GVC buyers and suppliers could depend on technological turbulence. We hypothesize a positive relationship between these firms’ export performance and their relational capital with GVC buyers and suppliers. But we expect technological turbulence to weaken this relationship. Based on a sample of 95 Bangladeshi firms in the ready-made garment industry, this quantitative analysis reports evidence that partially supports our predictions. Specifically, we find a positive relationship between these firms’ relational capital with GVC buyers and their export performance. In addition, the higher the technological turbulence, the weaker this relationship. Overall, this research adds to the theory and practice of interfirm learning in GVCs from the perspective of developing country firms.

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Given the challenges women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face in global markets, we investigate the effects of gender and immigrant background on their direct versus indirect export strategies. Drawing on insights from social capital theory, our analysis consists of a sample of 109 Canadian SMEs. We found that although women-majority-owned SMEs are less likely to export directly compared to their men-majority-owned counterparts, women owners with an immigrant background have the potential to overcome network-related barriers, thus weakening the negative effect of gender on direct exporting. These results point to the significance of having access to international networks and the necessity to leverage this linkage to support the direct exporting approach for women-majority-owned SMEs. Our research guides SME owners and managers with global aspirations. We suggest policymakers develop initiatives to encourage women owners to identify, build, and cultivate international business relationships and improve the design and implementation of policies targeted at immigrant export businesses.

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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) rely on network ties to facilitate overseas expansion. However, the expansion may be hindered when geographical and institutional distance is great, and boundaries of network connections are reached since the information from those networks may be distorted and lack objectivity. Nevertheless, Canadian SMEs with native-born owners have succeeded in expanding into geographically and institutionally distant markets despite possessing no pre-existing ties. Drawing on insights from institution- and network-based views, we investigate this understudied issue through a generic inductive interview of six Canadian SMEs that have either expanded into or plan expansion into the United Arab Emirates in which they had no pre-existing ties. Results reveal that all firms understood that institutional differences affect the business environment. They embarked on a distinct networking approach, focusing on broadening their existing network in the early stage and making full use of outsourcing networking activities. The research helps pave the way for further clarity and understanding of the dynamic nature of international entrepreneurship when relating to distant yet commercially attractive markets.

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Opportunity evaluation is a very important part of entrepreneurial activity; however, entrepreneurs’ individual differences in evaluating opportunities have been neglected in prior research. To address this gap, we apply institutional theory and stereotype threat theory to explain how some institutional factors differentiate entrepreneurs’ opportunity evaluation process. More specifically, we explore how external institutional factors, such as political and social factors, along with personal institutional factors, such as family influences, affect the opportunity evaluation of entrepreneurs under various cultural backgrounds, specifically China and the United States. The Schumpeterian entrepreneur, in which radical innovation and the desire to significantly upend market equilibria, frames our discussion. This paper contributes to the theoretical understanding of the factors influencing entrepreneurial opportunity evaluation from a comparative culture perspective and to the comparative international entrepreneurship field by building a comparative evaluation framework that summarizes institutional factors influencing Chinese and American entrepreneurs’ opportunity evaluation. We propose that policy, social value, and belief as well as family will have significant impacts on entrepreneurs’opportunity evaluation. We further propose several cultural constructs such as individualism vs. collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, and Confucian work dynamism will moderate the relationship with institutional factors in influencing an entrepreneur’s opportunity evaluation process. We discuss our implications with attention given to how our comparative evaluation framework provides insights into why China and the United States differ in terms of developing Schumpeterian entrepreneurs. We then discuss the framework’s limitations.

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The article examines the profound influence of public policies on female migrant entrepreneurship, emphasizing their impact at both local and global levels. Highlighting diverse obstacles faced by female entrepreneurs, including financial constraints, limited knowledge, gender bias, and sociocultural factors, it underscores the pivotal role of governmental support. Specifically, in Northern Europe, gender equality, integration, and entrepreneurship policies are identified as crucial facilitators. Thus, migrant women, facing compounded challenges of gender, ethnicity, and immigration status, encounter barriers to accessing local opportunities. Motivations for entrepreneurship span economic survival, flexibility, and escape from domestic challenges. However, low-tech migrant enterprises often remain overlooked. Women’s business groups and governmental initiatives emerge as vital sources of support, emphasizing the need for tailored policies benefiting female entrepreneurs, especially migrants. The integration of such policies within broader entrepreneurial ecosystems ensures alignment and mutual reinforcement, thus policymakers are urged to recognize and address the distinct needs of female migrant entrepreneurs.

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Native Americans and First Nations face many economic disparities. Despite a long history of international entrepreneurship, the effects of colonialization persist and present many hurdles to international entrepreneurship in Indian Country. Exporting by Native-owned businesses is associated with higher average payroll per employee and having more employees (Gresser 2022). Access to education and financing are significant obstacles. While policy changes could have a significant impact, assistance in exporter-specifictraining, education, and mentoring can have strong effects.