Impacts of strategic project management on ntrepreneurial orientation relationship with nternationalization

Firms’ strategic flexibility and agility in internationalization (INT) is influenced by context. However, there are few studies concerning INT conducted in and about emerging economies (EEs). There exists a dearth of literature on INT connected to strategic management (SM). Such gaps motivate this research to alleviate needs to further explore entrepreneurial orientation (EO) of owners and managers, their motives for foreign market entry, and effects of the innovation (IVN) and networking (NWG) with firms’ INT. It incorporates how strategic project management (SPM) flexibility can enable firms in EEs to be more agile in EO, influencing how they develop INT activities of exporting (EXP) and sales-subsidiary establishment (SSE), to minimize hindrances and improve performance. This is a vital attractive area of research to pursue for the importance of INT and advantages in and for EEs is increasing, and exploration reveals EO elements and enabling factors enhancing INT outcomes. The qualitative approach reviews literature in EO, INT and SPM, and presents a conceptual model with propositions, complemented by enhanced framework. Organization learning theory (OLT) perspective is utilized to better understand EO of firms in and from EEs, leading to effective INT outcomes. Findings and implications are that coordination assists EO, goal and role clarification, for SPM crucial to synergy, promotes agility, effective SM and outcomes, minimizing difficulties as IVN, NWG and learning (LNG) support drivers and mechanisms improving INT performance (Kodama, 2005; Belassi, Kondra and Tukel, 2007; Tomomitsu, Carvalho and Moraes, 2017). This paper contributes to theory and practice further developing EO-SPM-INT relationships, and focusing on SPM and IVN interactions, firms can better coordinate for more effective INT. Researchers and practitioners can benefit from the novel means to improve processes and critical managerial and success factors best integrating SO, SI and results beneficial in EEs’ INT. Corresponding author: Juliette Brathwaite Email address for corresponding author: juliepat02@yahoo.com First submission received: 12th April 2018 Revised submission received: 30th June 2018 Accepted: 16th July 2018