Title: International opportunity perspective on internationalisation of family firms in developing countries

Authors: Nidal A. Darwish

Addresses: Faculty of Business and Economics, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem, Palestine

Abstract: This exploratory study employed multiple case-based approaches to explore and advance our understanding of how family firms recognise international opportunities in developing countries. As such, we adopted eight Palestinian family firms from different manufacturing sectors, choosing family entrepreneurs as a unit of analysis. The current study aims to improve our understanding of how network ties as a source of information influence family firms' international opportunity recognition in developing countries. Furthermore, the study seeks to understand how family firms' internationalisation in developing countries differs from those in developed countries. The results imply that family entrepreneurs recognise international opportunities relying on both social and business ties, but business ties seem more significant and influential. The findings also indicated that the family entrepreneurs have been proactive in their attempts to enter international markets. Moreover, family entrepreneurs in developing countries are more proactive than those in developed countries.

Keywords: international opportunity recognition; networks ties; internationalisation of family firms; developing countries.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGSB.2023.136870

International Journal of Globalisation and Small Business, 2023 Vol.13 No.4, pp.369 - 396

Received: 25 Aug 2022
Accepted: 16 May 2023
Published online: 23 Feb 2024 *

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