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2022 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

The Role of Different Types of Previous Experience in International Opportunity Recognition: Evidence from Spanish International Entrepreneurs

Authors : Eduardo Terán-Yépez, David Jiménez-Castillo, Manuel Sánchez-Pérez

Published in: Latin American and Iberian Entrepreneurship

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

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Abstract

Delving into the factors that influence international opportunity recognition (IOR) processes (active search and serendipitous discovery) is a topic of current relevance in the literature on international entrepreneurship (IE). Despite the previous experience of entrepreneurs is considered to play a key role in the IE process, much remains to be explored to understand how this experience can shape the way entrepreneurs identify international opportunities. This study examines whether three different types of previous experience (i.e., international business experience, international living experience, and past negative entrepreneurial experience) of Spanish entrepreneurs are related to how they identify foreign market opportunities. To answer this question, a quantitative analysis of data from 172 Spanish international entrepreneurs was applied to compare if possessing each of these types of experience versus not possessing them can lead to the recognition of an international opportunity through active search or serendipitous discovery. The findings demonstrate that Spanish entrepreneurs with international experience (either international business or living experience) and those with past negative entrepreneurial experience in the domestic market are more likely to identify IOs through active search. The results also show that Spanish entrepreneurs without international business experience and those without past negative entrepreneurial experience in the domestic market are more likely to discover IOs serendipitously. Surprisingly, having international living experience or not having it does not make any difference in the serendipitous discovery of international opportunities. These findings contribute new evidence to the debate of IOR determinants, which have relevant implications for understanding international entrepreneurs’ search behavior in the Spanish context.

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Title: The Role of Different Types of Previous Experience in International Opportunity Recognition: Evidence from Spanish International Entrepreneurs
Authors: Eduardo Terán-Yépez
David Jiménez-Castillo
Manuel Sánchez-Pérez
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Book: Latin American and Iberian Entrepreneurship
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-97698-9

Electronic ISBN: 978-3-030-97699-6

Copyright Year: 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97699-6_8