International New Ventures Learning Processes and Their Role in International Marketing

Learning processes of the small and medium sized enterprises (SME) are of special importance for their internationalization, as they may lead to gaining the Learning Advantage of Newness. The current literature suggests that the dynamic capabilities concept may help in understanding how the learning processes lead to the development of marketing capabilities necessary for foreign expansion of SMEs. This study aims at identifying the learning processes of International New Ventures (INVs) and analysing their role in international marketing. The results of individual interviews with four Polish INV’s founders and managers are presented. The studied companies are similar to the foreign ones with respect to the information gathering sources and processes. When looking for market opportunities they often rely on informal sources of intelligence and „congenital” knowledge of the founders. These sources substitute for firm-level international experience at early stages of international development. At the later stages of expansion they are supplemented with more external knowledge and sometimes also “grafting”, or purchasing expert knowledge.