Internationalisation of value chain activities of small firms: An international value chain approach

Small firms are increasingly engaging with international markets, often with great speed and close to firm inception. Yet, our current understanding of small firm internationalisation processes remains limited. This paper proposes an international value chain approach (IVCA) to international entrepreneurship, focusing on dimensions of internationalised value chain activities, internationalisation age and speed, choice of markets, and geographic scope of internationalisation. Used in studying the internationalisation of value chain activities of eight small New Zealand firms, the IVCA allows firm internationalisation to be explored in greater depth and from multiple dimensions, opening new insights into the internationalisation processes of small firms.