Exploring firms’ early internationalisation from a cognitive perspective: a conceptual model

Abstract

Internationalisation has been widely explored due to its importance in both organisational and regional development. Nevertheless, so far, no complete and well-supported theory of cross-border entrepreneurial behaviour exists. Recently, some studies indicate that important findings and shifts in international entrepreneurship research can occur by applying a cognitive perspective. This paper proposes a conceptual model for exploring the cognitive dimension of the early internationalisation of ventures, relying on the intentional patterns of this behaviour as well as on its antecedents and determinants. The proposed model may also serve as a bridge to link the past theoretical approaches that have usually been viewed as contradictory.