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Business motivation and informational needs in internationalization

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Abstract

We focus on an analysis of entrepreneurs’ motivation in business internationalization. Following on from the Regulatory Focus Theory, two differing approaches emerge: promotion (PMF) and prevention (PVF). PMF entrepreneurs approach internationalization spurred by their own motivation as opposed to PVF entrepreneurs who engage in internationalization motivated by the competitive environment. We propose that entrepreneurs’ motivational orientation depends on their prior international experience relating to business internationalization. Moreover, an internationalization strategy requires information regarding markets, barriers and support programmes. Entrepreneurs’ motivational orientation also impacts their informational concerns and alertness to informative stimuli. For the empirical application, we assess the opinions of entrepreneurs working in the Spanish natural stone sector. Findings reveal that entrepreneurs’ motivational orientation with regard to international opportunities changes as they gain experience, which at the same time alters their alertness and their informational concerns.

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Notes

  1. At a national level, the ICEX classifies it as a preferential sector and it is included in the HABITAT plan. This sector appears in the II Business Internationalization Plan for Firms in Castilla y León.

  2. The difference of means test enables us to explore the link between entrepreneurs’ motivation and the variables that are representative of “prior international experience” without the results being affected by the relationship between “own experience” and “evaluation of other firms’ experience”. Tests carried out using other techniques (regression models) provide very similar results.

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Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers and the editor, H. Etemad, for their insights and contributions to the development of this paper. In addition, the authors thank the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (SEJ 2007-60922/ECO) for its financial support of this project.

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  1. Departamento de Organización de Empresas y C I.M., Universidad de Valladolid, Avda. Valle de Esgueva, n° 6, 47011, Valladolid, Spain

    Valle Santos & Teresa García

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  1. Valle Santos
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  2. Teresa García
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Correspondence to Valle Santos.

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Santos, V., García, T. Business motivation and informational needs in internationalization. J Int Entrep 9, 195–212 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10843-011-0077-y

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