Examining the Dual Forces of Individual Entrepreneurial Orientation and Liability of Foreignness on International Entrepreneurs

Abstract

In this paper, we adopt a theoretical approach to integrate two streams of literature-that is, entrepreneurship orientation (EO) and liability of foreignness (LOF)-to examine the dual effect of EO and foreignness on international entrepreneurs. First, we argue for the need for developing the constructs of EO and LOF at the individual level (referred to as IEO and ILOF, respectively), as previous research has primarily examined them at the firm level. Then, we develop a 4S framework to characterize entrepreneurs based on their EO and foreignness into four categories-star, survivor, struggler, and slider-and offer predictions on their relative performance.

Well-trodden highways and roads less traveled: Entrepreneurial-oriented behavior and identity construction in international entrepreneurship narratives

“…Although IE scholars have for several years primarily focused on the strategic orientation of entrepreneurial firms, a number of scholars have continued to study entrepreneurial behavior as an individual phenomenon, with a specific focus on the behavior of important firm leaders, such as founders (Joardar and Wu 2011;Weaver et al 2002). The tendency has been to treat individual founders as having a more or less fixed profile in terms of their entrepreneurial tendencies and attributes (Stewart et al 1999).…”

“…As noted by Oviatt and McDougall (2005b): 7), international entrepreneurship (IE) research seeks to understand Bby whom and with what effects^international entrepreneurial opportunities are acted upon. Research on IE behavior (Oviatt and McDougall 2005a) has, on the whole, been dominated by firm-level studies (Joardar and Wu 2011;Jones et al 2011). At the same time, early entrepreneurship scholars have remained close to the initial view of entrepreneurially oriented small firms as the extension of the individuals in charge (Lumpkin and Dess 1996).…”

The Embedding of Transnational Entrepreneurs in Diaspora Networks: Leveraging the Assets of Foreignness

“…In addition, the individual level of analysis allows us to probe the established understanding that foreign nationals are often observed to be in an unfavorable position when compared to the locals of the host country, due to their socio-cultural differences, lack of network embeddedness, and access to information (Jun et al 2001;Joardar and Wu 2011). We believe that the tendency to associate liabilities with such characteristics as foreignness or outsidership arises almost by definition, because these characteristics define actors in terms of what they are not (or what groups they do not belong to) rather than what they are or what they do belong to-a negative, rather than a positive, identity.…”

A framework for a teaching toolkit in entrepreneurship education

“…While most academics view the EO construct as a firm-level phenomenon (Covin and Slevin, 1989b;Guth and Ginsberg, 1990;Zahra, 1993;Lumpkin and Dess, 1996;Antoncic andHisrich, 2001, 2003), it can also be applied to the individual level, although few studies have implemented this approach (e.g., Poon et al, 2006;Joardar and Wu, 2011;Bolton, 2012;Langkamp Bolton and Lane, 2012;Goktan and Gupta, 2013). Based on the effort by Lumpkin and Dess (1996), Langkamp Bolton and Lane (2012) stress the reliability and validity of the used scale with 1,100 individuals.…”

“…Weaver et al (2002) applied also the scale of EO. Evidently, individuals are the reasons why enterprises operate entrepreneurially (Joardar and Wu, 2011;Covin and Miller, 2014). Since entrepreneurial role models highlight their EO in their narratives, we assume that entrepreneurs can have an impact on the EO of their audience.…”