Tatyana Tsukanova

Impact of the Domestic Institutional Environment on the Degree of Internationalization of SMEs in Transition Economies

The internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is a topic of considerable academic and practical interest, but there has been little research in the context of transition economies. This paper contributes to this field by examining the influence of aspects of the domestic institutional business environment on the degree of internationalization of SMEs in transition economies. Based on a dataset from the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey 2009, the authors examine whether specific factors in the regulatory and administrative system affect the degree of SME internationalization, and propose a series of hypotheses. The findings highlight the significant role of tax rates, tax administration and corruption in the internationalization process, and demonstrate the importance of institutional factors for SMEs from transition economies.

The Moderating Role of National Culture in the Relationship Between University Entrepreneurship Offerings and Student Start‐Up Activity: An Embeddedness Perspective

Student proclivity to start a venture can be affected not only by the university environment where they are exposed to entrepreneurship, but also by perceptions of how desirable entrepreneurial behavior is considered to be in a given society. Based on an embeddedness perspective, and using a sample of students from 26 countries and 489 universities, evidence is produced of significant positive relationships between both curricular and co‐curricular programing and student start‐up activities, with specific cultural dimensions moderating these impacts. University seed funds for students negatively impact the scope of start‐up activities. Implications are drawn for educators and policy makers.

The Value of Knowledge, Network Relationships and Governmental Support for Chinese Firms’ Early Internationalization: Survey Evidence

Firms’ early internationalization has received considerable research attention. According to studies on born globals (Madsen and Servais 1997) and international new ventures (Oviatt and McDougall 1994), firms enter far markets soon after establishment. However, according to studies on slower internationalizers – for instance, in the case of innovation-related internationalization models (Bilkey 1978) and the Uppsala model (Johanson and Vahlne 1977, 1990) – internationalization takes more time and starts from the closest and/or more familiar markets.