An entrepreneur is someone who organizes, manages and assumes the risk for
a business venture. Today, many entrepreneurs find their ventures don’t have the
traditional boundary constraints. From inception, many new entrepreneurial ventures
find they can compete across borders and
capture emerging international business
opportunities. Advancements in technology
have allowed the economic environment to
be characterized as “global.”
Smart Business asked Mark Ballam of San
Diego State University about the state of
international entrepreneurs in today’s global
economy.
How do you define the term ‘international
entrepreneurship’?
The growth of this ‘global economy’ has
created opportunities for businesses to market products and services all over the globe.
It also allows them to develop alliances and
partnerships throughout the world. Integral
to today’s global economy are entrepreneurs
and entrepreneurially minded firms who see
the world as their marketplace. We call these
individuals ‘international entrepreneurs.’
Increasingly more entrepreneurial ventures
are launching themselves as international
businesses from the outset. We call these
companies ‘born global.’ These firms bypass
traditional domestic markets and bring highly innovative products to the world. The
growth of globalization has created many
new opportunities for these firms, and it has
also introduced new threats. As such, the
same skills needed previously by companies
competing in the global economy are needed
by today’s international entrepreneurs.
What is the study of international entrepreneurship?
Throughout the past decade, international
entrepreneurship has become a key issue in
international business studies. International
entrepreneurship is the junction between
international business and entrepreneurship
and the relation to other business functions
including marketing, management, human
resources, finance and accounting. When
studying international business topics, we
learned that companies needed to understand the frameworks for international
expansion. Firms had to understand how to
develop and improve their international strategy. Market research and in-country due diligence are key, as is understanding how to
find and establish relationships with potential overseas business partners. Also important is knowledge of other languages and cultures and their impact when conducting business in other countries.
How has this affected business research?
Continuing globalization of the marketplace has also sparked fascinating new
research opportunities for academics. New
ideas and concepts continue to emerge, especially in the area of international entrepreneurship. In the past, academic researchers
who studied international business focused
mainly on large multinational corporations
and business methods that helped them succeed internationally. In studying entrepreneurship, academic researchers mainly
focused on the creation of new ventures and
the management of small- to medium-sized
businesses in relation to domestic markets.
Now, because of the increasing number of
new and innovative business activities that
cross national borders, there are a growing
number of topics that can be added to the
research mix. This phenomenon developed
because entrepreneurial innovation is
increasing everywhere, and the new firms
being established see the world as their marketplace. Interesting new research topics
include cross-border entrepreneurship, innovation in new and small organizations, international environments in which new firms
operate, and even family business and social
entrepreneurship.
Also, these business issues are now being
studied from a variety of perspectives, including economics, sociology and anthropology.
Today, business professors are creating multicountry research teams to study how innovation and creativity as well as the role of
entrepreneurship and government interaction affect new global businesses. The outcome of this wave of research is important
theoretically, and it has direct relevance to
business and the teaching of international
entrepreneurship.
How are schools meeting this new need?
SDSU’s College of Business Administration
introduced the new Global Entrepreneurship
MBA program, which blends two of our most
recognized programs, Entrepreneurship and
International Business, and gives students a
variety of skills needed for success in the rapidly changing global marketplace. Students
travel to four different countries as they
study in a one-year, comprehensive program
that shows them, in a hands-on environment,
how international business and global entrepreneurship is conducted.
Students begin their study with six weeks
in San Diego and then travel for 12-week
blocks to partner universities in China, India
and the Middle East, finishing their last six
weeks in San Diego. At each university, students link with their peers creating an international network of professional contacts.
The program is designed to ensure the students gain a significant global edge while
learning traditional business functions.
MARK J. BALLAM is managing director of the Center for International Business Education & Research at San Diego State University.
Reach him at (619) 594-3947 or [email protected].
