Internationalization of Entrepreneurship and Networking

The research in the field of international entrepreneurship has been described by various scholars as synthesis of multidisciplinary studies such as entrepreneurship and international business. The discipline is a relatively new subject and therefore there is a growing interest among researchers to come up with theories, conceptual frameworks and empirically proved theoretical concepts. This paper is a review of theoretical and empirical studies intending to discuss main insights of international entrepreneurship research on origins, speed, and modes of international activities of small firms as well as the importance of existing networks and developing new networks in internationalization processes. In order to draw a clear picture of the selected topic, a three stage approach was derived; hence, the paper consists of three interrelated components. Firstly, the historical background and needs for conceptualizing and empirical research are being discussed followed by entrepreneurial internationalization conceptual frameworks, and finally, the results of several empirical researches have been presented. The paper draws out some managerial implications of the current research.