IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eco/journ1/2017-05-44.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Factors Affecting the Internationalization of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in South Korea: Entrepreneurial Orientation, Human Capital and Technological Capabilities

Author

Listed:
  • Kang-Sik Kim

    (School of Business, Korea Aerospace University, Seoul, South Korea.)

Abstract

Internationalization provides SMEs with many strategic benefits. However, for many SMEs it is not easy to carry out internationalization successfully due to limited resources and capabilities. In order to accomplish an efficient and effective internationalization, it is crucial to grasp the determinants of SME internationalization and their relationship to the firm internationalization. This paper investigates the factors affecting the degree of internationalization of SMEs in South Korea. This study further explores how the international orientation of entrepreneur, the employee human capital, the technological capabilities of a firm, and the external environment might explain the degree of SME internationalization. The findings indicate that entrepreneurial orientation and investment in employee human capital are the critical factors for explaining the internationalization of South Korean SMEs. In addition, we find that technology turbulence and market similarity moderate these relationships, based on the analysis of data collected from 150 South Korean SMEs. The results imply that managers of SMEs should consider these internal and external factors in order to enhance their performance in international markets.

Suggested Citation

  • Kang-Sik Kim, 2017. "Factors Affecting the Internationalization of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in South Korea: Entrepreneurial Orientation, Human Capital and Technological Capabilities," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 7(5), pages 371-379.
    • Handle: RePEc:eco:journ1:2017-05-44
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econjournals.com/index.php/ijefi/article/download/5463/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.econjournals.com/index.php/ijefi/article/view/5463/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. María Ripollés-Meliá & Martina Menguzzato-Boulard & Luz Sánchez-Peinado, 2007. "Entrepreneurial orientation and international commitment," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 5(3), pages 65-83, December.
    2. Leonidas C Leonidou & Constatine S Katsikeas, 1996. "The Export Development Process: An Integrative Review of Empirical Models," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 27(3), pages 517-551, September.
    3. Christiane Prange & Sylvie Verdier, 2011. "Dynamic capabilities, internationalization processes and performance," Post-Print hal-02312587, HAL.
    4. Gary A Knight & S Tamar Cavusgil, 2004. "Innovation, organizational capabilities, and the born-global firm," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 35(2), pages 124-141, March.
    5. Densil Williams, 2008. "Export stimulation of micro- and small locally owned firms from emerging environments: New evidence," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 6(3), pages 101-122, September.
    6. Sousa, Carlos M.P. & Bradley, Frank, 2008. "Antecedents of international pricing adaptation and export performance," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 43(3), pages 307-320, July.
    7. Pol Herrmann & Deepak K Datta, 2002. "CEO Successor Characteristics and the Choice of Foreign Market Entry Mode: An Empirical Study," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 33(3), pages 551-569, September.
    8. Danny Miller, 1983. "The Correlates of Entrepreneurship in Three Types of Firms," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 29(7), pages 770-791, July.
    9. Prange, Christiane & Verdier, Sylvie, 2011. "Dynamic capabilities, internationalization processes and performance," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 126-133, January.
    10. Davidsson, Per & Honig, Benson, 2003. "The role of social and human capital among nascent entrepreneurs," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 301-331, May.
    11. Matjaz Novak & Stefan Bojnec, 2005. "Human Capital and Economic Growth by Municipalities in Slovenia," Managing Global Transitions, University of Primorska, Faculty of Management Koper, vol. 3(2), pages 157-177.
    12. John L Naman & Dennis P. Slevin, 1993. "Entrepreneurship and the concept of fit: A model and empirical tests," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(2), pages 137-153, February.
    13. Zucchella, Antonella & Palamara, G. & Denicolai, S., 2007. "The drivers of the early internationalization of the firm," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 268-280, September.
    14. Knight, Gary A., 2001. "Entrepreneurship and strategy in the international SME," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 7(3), pages 155-171.
    15. Zahra, Shaker A. & Garvis, Dennis M., 2000. "International corporate entrepreneurship and firm performance: The moderating effect of international environmental hostility," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 15(5-6), pages 469-492.
    16. S Tamer Cavusgil & Shaoming Zou & G M Naidu, 1993. "Product and Promoting Adaptation in Export Ventures: An Empirical Investigation," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 24(3), pages 479-506, September.
    17. Igor Filatotchev & Xiaohui Liu & Trevor Buck & Mike Wright, 2009. "The export orientation and export performance of high-technology SMEs in emerging markets: The effects of knowledge transfer by returnee entrepreneurs," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(6), pages 1005-1021, August.
    18. Nicholas Athanassiou & Douglas Nigh, 2000. "Internationalization, Tacit Knowledge and the Top Management Teams of MNCs," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 31(3), pages 471-487, September.
    19. Jeffrey G. Covin & Dennis P. Slevin, 1989. "Strategic management of small firms in hostile and benign environments," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 10(1), pages 75-87, January.
    20. Stoian, Maria-Cristina & Rialp, Alex & Rialp, Josep, 2011. "Export performance under the microscope: A glance through Spanish lenses," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(2), pages 117-135, April.
    21. Gary A Knight & S Tamer Cavusgil, 2004. "Innovation, organizational capabilities, and the born-global firm," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 35(4), pages 334-334, July.
    22. Dimov, Dimo P. & Shepherd, Dean A., 2005. "Human capital theory and venture capital firms: exploring "home runs" and "strike outs"," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 1-21, January.
    23. Daphne W Yiu & ChungMing Lau & Garry D Bruton, 2007. "International venturing by emerging economy firms: the effects of firm capabilities, home country networks, and corporate entrepreneurship," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(4), pages 519-540, July.
    24. Olli Kuivalainen & Kaisu Puumalainen & Sanna Sintonen & Kalevi Kyläheiko, 2010. "Organisational capabilities and internationalisation of the small and medium-sized information and communications technology firms," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 8(2), pages 135-155, June.
    25. Zhou, Lianxi, 2007. "The effects of entrepreneurial proclivity and foreign market knowledge on early internationalization," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 281-293, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mariluz Fernández-Alles & Dara Hernández-Roque & Mercedes Villanueva-Flores & Mirta Díaz-Fernández, 2022. "The impact of human, social, and psychological capital on academic spin-off internationalization," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 433-473, September.
    2. Nursyakirah AbdManap & Che Wan Jasimah Wan Mohamed Radzi & Hashem Salarzadeh Jenatabadi, 2023. "Exploring Factors Influencing Technological Capability of Food Manufacturing Firms in Malaysia," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(3), pages 21582440231, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Javalgi, Rajshekhar (Raj) G. & Todd, Patricia R., 2011. "Entrepreneurial orientation, management commitment, and human capital: The internationalization of SMEs in India," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 64(9), pages 1004-1010, September.
    2. Jones, Marian V. & Coviello, Nicole & Tang, Yee Kwan, 2011. "International Entrepreneurship research (1989–2009): A domain ontology and thematic analysis," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 26(6), pages 632-659.
    3. Gupta, Rakesh & Pandey, Ritesh & Sebastian, V.J., 2021. "International Entrepreneurial Orientation (IEO): A bibliometric overview of scholarly research," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 74-88.
    4. Noor Ismail & Olli Kuivalainen, 2015. "The effect of internal capabilities and external environment on small- and medium-sized enterprises’ international performance and the role of the foreign market scope: The case of the Malaysian halal," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 13(4), pages 418-451, December.
    5. Anna Vuorio & Lasse Torkkeli & Liisa-Maija Sainio, 2020. "Service innovation and internationalization in SMEs: antecedents and profitability outcomes," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 92-123, March.
    6. Farhad Uddin Ahmed & Louis Brennan, 2019. "Performance determinants of early internationalizing firms: The role of international entrepreneurial orientation," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 389-424, September.
    7. Indujeeva Peiris & Michèle Akoorie & Paresha Sinha, 2012. "International entrepreneurship: A critical analysis of studies in the past two decades and future directions for research," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 10(4), pages 279-324, December.
    8. D’Angelo, Alfredo & Presutti, Manuela, 2019. "SMEs international growth: The moderating role of experience on entrepreneurial and learning orientations," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 613-624.
    9. Bekir Emre KurtulmuÅŸ & Alev Katrinli & Bernadette Warner, 2020. "International Entrepreneurial Orientation and Performance of SMEs: The Mediating Role of Informal Institutional Framework," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(4), pages 21582440209, December.
    10. Martin, Silvia L. & Javalgi, Rajshekhar (Raj) G., 2016. "Entrepreneurial orientation, marketing capabilities and performance: The Moderating role of Competitive Intensity on Latin American International New Ventures," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(6), pages 2040-2051.
    11. Jeffrey G. Covin & Danny Miller, 2014. "International Entrepreneurial Orientation: Conceptual Considerations, Research Themes, Measurement Issues, and Future Research Directions," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 38(1), pages 11-44, January.
    12. Kalinic, Igor & Brouthers, Keith D., 2022. "Entrepreneurial orientation, export channel selection, and export performance of SMEs," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(1).
    13. Tânia Gonçalves & Mário Sérgio Teixeira & José G. Dias & Sofia Gouveia & Ricardo Jorge Correia, 2021. "Commitment to exporting as an antecedent of organizational skills and firm performance," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 91(7), pages 1063-1084, September.
    14. Buccieri, Dominic & Javalgi, Raj G. & Cavusgil, Erin, 2020. "International new venture performance: Role of international entrepreneurial culture, ambidextrous innovation, and dynamic marketing capabilities," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(2).
    15. Liu, Yi & Li, Yuan & Xue, Jiaqi, 2011. "Ownership, strategic orientation and internationalization in emerging markets," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 46(3), pages 381-393, July.
    16. Charmaine Glavas & Shane Mathews & Constanza Bianchi, 2017. "International opportunity recognition as a critical component for leveraging Internet capabilities and international market performance [Reconocimiento de oportunidad internacional como un componen," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 15(1), pages 1-35, March.
    17. Mojtaba Hosseini & Hossein Dadfar & Staffan Brege, 2018. "Firm-level entrepreneurship and international performance: A simultaneous examination of orientation and action," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 338-368, September.
    18. Jantunen, Ari & Nummela, Niina & Puumalainen, Kaisu & Saarenketo, Sami, 2008. "Strategic orientations of born globals--Do they really matter?," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 158-170, March.
    19. Rimante Sedziniauskiene & Jurgita Sekliuckiene & Antonella Zucchella, 2019. "Networks’ Impact on the Entrepreneurial Internationalization: A Literature Review and Research Agenda," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 59(5), pages 779-823, October.
    20. Amorós, José Ernesto & Etchebarne, María Soledad & Zapata, Isabel Torres & Felzensztein, Christian, 2016. "International entrepreneurial firms in Chile: An exploratory profile," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(6), pages 2052-2060.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    internationalization; SMEs; entrepreneur orientation; human capital; Korea;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • M13 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - New Firms; Startups
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eco:journ1:2017-05-44. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Ilhan Ozturk (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.econjournals.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.