Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Social Ties and Human Capital in Family SMEs’ Internationalization

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Knowledge, Learning and Innovation

Part of the book series: Contributions to Management Science ((MANAGEMENT SC.))

  • 1119 Accesses

Abstract

While family business internationalization has been studied from different perspectives, we investigated the role of social ties, and human capital in internationalization of entrepreneurial family businesses. More importantly we have considered gender as an influential factor in applying human capital and social ties in internationalization efforts.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Alon, I., Yeheskel, O., Lerner, M., & Zhang, W. (2013). Internationalization of Chinese entrepreneurial firms. Thunderbird International Business Review, 55(5), 495–512.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alvarez, S. A., & Busenitz, L. W. (2001). The entrepreneurship of resource-based theory. Journal of Management, 27(6), 755–775.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, A. R., Jack, S. L., & Dodd, S. D. (2005). The role of family members in entrepreneurial networks: Beyond the boundaries of the family firm. Family Business Review, 18(2), 135–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andersson, S. (2011). International entrepreneurship, born globals and the theory of effectuation. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 18, 627–643.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bates, T. (1990). Entrepreneur human capital inputs and small business longevity. Review of Economics and Statistics, 72, 551–559.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becker, G. S. (1993). Human capital: A theoretical and empirical analysis with specific reference to education. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Brennan, L., & Garvey, D. (2009). The role of knowledge in internationalization. Research in International Business and Finance, 23(2), 120–133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brush, C. G. (1990). Women and enterprise creation. In Enterprising women. Paris: OECD.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brush, C. G., & Hisrich, R. D. (1991). Antecedent influences on women-owned businesses. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 6(2), 9–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burkart, M., Panunzi, F., & Shleifer, A. (2003). Family firms. The Journal of Finance, 58(5), 2167–2202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carter, N. M., Brush, C. G., Greene, P. G., Gatewood, E., & Hart, M. M. (2003). Women entrepreneurs who break through to equity financing: The influence of human, social and financial capital. Venture Capital, 5(1), 1–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Casillas, J. C. (2005). Internationalisation of Spanish family SMEs: An analysis of family involvement. International Journal of Globalisation and Small Business, 1(2).

    Google Scholar 

  • Chetty, S., & Agndal, H. (2008). Role of inter-organizational networks and interpersonal networks in an industrial district. Regional Studies, 42(2), 175–187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. American Journal of Sociology, 94, S95–S120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coviello, N., & Munro, H. (1997). Network relationships and the internationalisation process of small software firms. International Business Review, 6, 361–386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crick, D., & Crick, J. (2016). The first export order: A marketing innovation revisited. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 24, 77–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davidsson, P., & Honig, B. (2003). The role of human and social capital among nascent entrepreneurs. Journal of Business Venturing, 18(3), 301–331.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeNoble, A., Ehrlich, S., & Singh, G. (2007). Toward the development of a family business self-efficacy scale: A resource-based perspective. Family Business Review, 20(2), 127–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989). Building theories from case study research. Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 532–550.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenhardt, K. M., & Graebner, M. E. (2007). Theory building from cases: Opportunities and challenges. Academy of Management Journal, 50(1), 25–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, P. D. (2011). Social ties and international entrepreneurship: Opportunities and constraints affecting firm internationalization. Journal of International Business Studies, 42(1), 99–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gabrielsson, P., & Gabrielsson, M. (2013). A dynamic model of growth phases and survival in international business-to-business new ventures: The moderating effect of decision-making logic. Industrial Marketing Management, 42, 1357–1373.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gallo, M. A., & García Pont, C. (1996). Important factors in family business internationalization. Family Business Review, 9(1), 45–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graves, C., & Thomas, J. (2008). Determinants of the internationalization pathways of family firms: An examination of family influence. Family Business Review, 21(2), 151–167.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greene, P. G., & Brown, T. E. (1997). Resource needs and the dynamic capitalism typology. Journal of Business Venturing, 12(3), 161–173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hisrich, R. D., & Fülöp, G. (1997). Women entrepreneurs in family business: The Hungarian case. Family Business Review, 10(3), 281–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hitt, M. A., Biermant, L., Shimizu, K., & Kochhar, R. (2001). Direct and moderating effects of human capital on strategy and performance in professional service firms: A resource-based perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 44(1), 13–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hofstede, G., & Hofstede, G. J. (2005). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind. London: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Javalgi, R. R. G., & Todd, P. R. (2011). Entrepreneurial orientation, management commitment, and human capital: The internationalization of SMEs in India. Journal of Business Research, 64(9), 1004–1010.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johanson, J., & Vahlne, J. E. (2006). Commitment and opportunity development in the internationalization process: A note on the Uppsala internationalization process model. Management International Review, 46(2), 165–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johanson, J., & Vahlne, J. E. (2009). The Uppsala internationalization process model revisited: From liability of foreignness to liability of outsidership. Journal of International Business Studies, 40(9), 1–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kitching, B. M., & Jackson, P. A. (2002). Female entrepreneurs in a transitional economy: Businesswomen in China. The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 3(2), 145–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kontinen, T., & Ojala, A. (2010). The internationalization of family businesses: A review of extant research. Journal of Family Business Strategy, 1(2), 97–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kontinen, T., & Ojala, A. (2011). Social capital in relation to the foreign market entry and post-entry operations of family SMEs. Journal of International Entrepreneurship, 9(2), 133–151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, D. Y., & Dawes, P. L. (2005). Guanxi, trust, and long-term orientation in Chinese business markets. Journal of International Marketing, 13(2), 28–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu, Y., Au, K., Peng, M. W., & Xu, E. (2013). Strategic management in private and family businesses. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 30(3), 633–639.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luo, Y. (2007). Guanxi and business. Singapore: World Scientific.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Mainela, T., & Puhakka, V. (2009). Organising new business in a turbulent context: Opportunity discovery and effectuation for IJV development in transition markets. Journal of International Entrepreneurship, 7(2), 111–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manolova, T. S., Brush, C. G., Edelman, L. F., & Greene, P. G. (2002). Internationalization of small firms personal factors revisited. International Small Business Journal, 20(1), 9–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manolova, T. S., Carter, N. M., Manev, I. M., & Gyoshev, B. S. (2007). The differential effect of men and women entrepreneurs’ human capital and networking on growth expectancies in Bulgaria. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 31(3), 407–426.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manolova, T. S., Manev, I. M., & Gyoshev, B. S. (2010). In good company: The role of personal and inter-firm networks for new-venture internationalization in a transition economy. Journal of World Business, 45(3), 257–265.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McClelland, E., Swail, J., Bell, J., & Ibbotson, P. (2005). Following the pathway of female entrepreneurs: A six-country investigation. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior and Research, 11(2), 84–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mustafa, M., & Chen, S. (2010). The strength of family networks in transnational immigrant entrepreneurship. Thunderbird International Business Review, 52(52), 97–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oswald, S. L., Muse, L. A., & Rutherford, M. W. (2009). The influence of large stake family control on performance: Is it agency or entrenchment? Journal of Small Business Management, 47, 116–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Padmanabhan, P., & Cho, K. R. (1999). Decision specific experience in foreign ownership and establishment strategies: Evidence from Japanese firms. Journal of International Business Studies, 30(1), 25–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poutziouris, P., & Chittenden, F. (1996). Family business or business families. Leeds: Institution for Small Business Affairs.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pukall, T. J., & Calabrò, A. (2014). The internationalization of family firms: A critical review and integrative model. Family Business Review, 27(2), 103–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramadani, V., & Hoy, F. (2015). Context and uniqueness of family businesses. Family businesses in transition economies. Cham: Springer International Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramadani, V., Gerguri, S., Dana, L. P., & Tasaminova, T. (2013). Woman entrepreneurs in the Republic of Macedonia: Waiting for directions. International Journal Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 19(1), 95–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramadani, V., Hisrich, R. D., & Gërguri-Rashiti, S. (2015). Female entrepreneurs in transition economies: Insights from Albania, Macedonia and Kosovo. World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, 11(4), 391–413.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramadani, V., Bexheti, A., Rexhepi, G., Ratten, V., & Ibraimi, S. (2016). Succession issues in Albanian family businesses: An exploratory research. Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 19(3).

    Google Scholar 

  • Ratten, V. (2015). Family business in sport organizations: Western experiences as lessons for transitional economies. In Family businesses in transition economies (pp. 305–317). Cham: Springer International Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ratten, V., Dana, L. P., & Ramadani, V. (2017). Internationalisation of family business groups in transition economies. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 30(4), 509–525.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruzzier, M., Antončič, B., & Konečnik, M. (2006). The resource-based approach to the internationalisation of SMEs: Differences in resource bundles between internationalised and non-internationalised companies. Zagreb International Review of Economics and Business, 9(2), 95–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruzzier, M., Antonci, C. B., Hisrich, R. D., & Konecnik, M. (2007). Human capital and SME internationalization: A structural equation modeling study. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences/Revue Canadienne des Sciences de l’Administration, 24(1), 15–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sarasvathy, S. D. (2001). Causation and effectuation: toward a theoretical shift from economic inevitability to entrepreneurial contingency. Academy of Management Review, 26, 242–263.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sarasvathy, S., Kumar, K., York, J. G., & Bhagavatula, S. (2014). An effectual approach to international entrepreneurship: Overlaps, challenges, and provocative possibilities. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 38, 71–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saxena, A. (2013). Transgenerational succession in business groups in India. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 30(3), 769–789.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schweizer, R., Vahlne, J. E., & Johanson, J. (2010). Internationalization as an entrepreneurial process. Journal of International Entrepreneurship, 8, 343–370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shi, H. X., & Dana, L. P. (2013). Market orientation and entrepreneurship in Chinese family business: A socialisation view. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 20(1), 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsui, A. S., & Farh, J. L. L. (1997). Where guanxi matters. Work and Occupations, 24(1), 56–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Unger, J. M., Rauch, A., Frese, M., & Rosenbusch, N. (2011). Human capital and entrepreneurial success: A meta-analytical review. Journal of Business Venturing, 26(3), 341–358.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woldie, A., & Adersua, A. (2004). Female entrepreneurs in a transitional economy: Businesswomen in Nigeria. International Journal of Social Economics, 31(1/2), 78–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woodside, A. G., & Wilson, E. J. (2003). Case study research methods for theory building. Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, 18(6/7), 493–508.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, M., Filatotchev, I., Hoskisson, R. E., & Peng, M. W. (2005). Strategy research in emerging economies: Challenging the conventional wisdom. Journal of Management Studies, 42(1), 1–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, M. M. H. (1994). Gifts, favors, and banquets: The art of social relationships in China. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zamudio, C., Anokhin, S., & Kellermanns, F. W. (2014). Network analysis: A concise review and suggestions for family business research. Journal of Family Business Strategy, 5(1), 63–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

    Masoud Karami & Cici Xiao He

  2. Shanghai Jiaotong University Overseas Education Colleague, Shanghai, China

    Shang Zhengang

Authors
  1. Masoud Karami
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Cici Xiao He
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Shang Zhengang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Masoud Karami .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. La Trobe University , Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Vanessa Ratten

  2. Polytechnic Institute of Porto , Porto, Portugal

    Vitor Braga

  3. University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Do , Vila Real, Portugal

    Carla Susana Marques

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Karami, M., He, C.X., Zhengang, S. (2018). Social Ties and Human Capital in Family SMEs’ Internationalization. In: Ratten, V., Braga, V., Marques, C. (eds) Knowledge, Learning and Innovation . Contributions to Management Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59282-4_5

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation