A3 Refereed book chapter or chapter in a compilation book
Sense or Sensibility? Managerial Sensemaking and Responsible Business Practices in International Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
Authors: Uzhegova Maria, Ivanova-Gongne Maria, Torkkeli Lasse
Editors: Pratik Arte, Yi Wang, Cheryl Dowie, Maria Elo, Salla Laasonen
Publishing place: Cham
Publication year: 2023
Book title : Sustainable International Business: Smart Strategies for Business and Society
Series title: Contributions to Management Science
First page : 323
Last page: 350
ISBN: 978-3-031-43784-7
eISBN: 978-3-031-43785-4
ISSN: 1431-1941
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43785-4_14(external)
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43785-4_14(external)
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/182047352(external)
International business today is increasingly stimulated to be conducted in a socially and environmentally responsible way. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals have emphasized the role of international business as an agent of transformation. Sustainability and related issues are global by nature; thus, they have a reach in international business and in providing international entrepreneurial opportunities. Despite this, research on international business and sustainable development has focused primarily on large multinational enterprises, while studies on international entrepreneurship (IE) have remained relatively absent. This study contributes to the literature on the internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by shedding light on how managers of international enterprises make sense of responsible business practices (RBPs). With an empirical sample of 179 Finnish internationalized SMEs and linear regression analysis, the study finds out that communication of sensemaking enhances the firms’ RBPs. This study illustrates the role of the sensemaking approach in IE, where it is essential to account for managerial sensemaking when seeking to explain how international entrepreneurial firms strategize for sustainable international business and can potentially contribute to Sustainable Development Goals.
Downloadable publication This is an electronic reprint of the original article. |