The export entry of small firms has been recognised as an
entrepreneurial activity in the entrepreneurship literature. Thus,
developing a holistic understanding of what it means for small firms to
internationalise entrepreneurially across different contexts is
essential. However, the literature on capabilities in international
entrepreneurship has tended to remain either conceptual or qualitative,
and scholars have called for studies on capabilities of emerging market
firms specifically. This chapter responds to these methodological and
contextual gaps in the literature by conducting a quantitative study on
the capabilities of early internationalising firms from Bangladesh. We
examine how international entrepreneurial capability and international
entrepreneurial orientation impact internationalisation of early
internationalising firms in a developing country low-tech industry
context. With an empirical sample of 647 firms from Bangladesh, we find
(1) positive relationship between the international entrepreneurial
capability of entrepreneurs and international EO of the firm; (2)
positive relationship between the international entrepreneurial
capability of entrepreneurs and both financial and non-financial
performance; (3) positive relationship with international
entrepreneurial orientation with both types of performance; and (4)
partial mediation effect by international entrepreneurial orientation in
the international entrepreneurial capability—performance relationship.
Consequently, this study posits that entrepreneurial
internationalisation involves the adoption and application of both
entrepreneurial capability and orientation simultaneously. In this way,
the study adds to the scientific knowledge on what it means to
internationalise entrepreneurially and emphasises the important role
that quantitative research methods have in IE in general, as well as for
developing markets and low-tech industries in particular.