The Effects of entrepreneurs’ characteristics on internationalisation of gazelle firms: a case of Lithuania

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Internacionalizacija; Kompetencija; Sparčiai augančios įmonės; Tarptautinis pagrindas; Valdymo personalas; Valdymo personalo kompetencijos; Verslumo tinklai; Competence; Competencies of management staff; Entrepreneurial networks; High growth firms; International background; Internationalisation; Management personnel.

ENIn recent years so-called Gazelle firms or high growth firms (H.G.F.s) have been the interest of policymakers, however little is known about entrepreneur-level determinants affecting internationalisation of these firms. Thus, the research aims to extend the literature addressing the impact of entrepreneurs’ characteristics on the internationalisation of H.G.F.s in Lithuania. The research sample was drawn from the population of Lithuanian H.G.F.s directly approaching the owners and members of the management team. The final sample included 177 internationalised firms. The analysis was based on the binomial logistic regression to test the hypotheses. The results reveal that entrepreneurial networks and foreign language capabilities of owners/ managers are good predictors of internationalisation degree. However, the research confirms the decreasing effect of domestic ties, the higher degree of internationalisation. The research did not reveal the significance of entrepreneurial and managerial competencies of owners/managers for internationalisation success. Furthermore, the study did not support the relationship of owners/managers’ education abroad and internationalisation. The research makes the twofold contribution to the extant literature. First, the research develops and tests the relationships surrounding the internationalisation of H.G.F.s as related to managerial and entrepreneurial competencies, entrepreneurial networks and international background of owners/managers. Second, the research highlights entrepreneur-level determinants affecting internationalisation of H.G.F.s in Central and Eastern European (C.E.E.) country’s context. [From the publication]

• Does board usage of knowledge and skills affect internationalization performance of SMEs? A case of Lithuania / Monika Bužavaitė, Renata Korsakienė. Journal of business economics and management. 2022, Vol. 23, no. 1, p. 145-161.
• Factors leading to early internationalization in emerging Central and Eastern European economies : empirical evidence from new ventures in Lithuania / Jurgita Sekliuckienė. European business review. 2017 29, 2, p. 219-242.