Networking and Familiness as Factors Stimulating the Early Internationalization of High-Tech Firms

The problem of the role and importance of time in the process of firm's internationalization belongs to the mainstream of international business research, as is the problem of the key role of high-tech firms operating across borders. The main goal of the paper is to understand how selected factors determine early internationalization of high-tech firms in Poland as an emerging market. The theoretical framework of the article is built on international entrepreneurship literature, supported by the network perspective and family firm theory. Then, the article focuses on the high-tech firms that become international through export or any other entry mode in the first three years of their life. A survey was conducted on the sample of 263 firms operating in high-tech industries in Poland. The results of our empirical studies show that high-tech firms functioning in networks and clusters are more likely to start their international expansion early. Moreover, family high-tech firms are less likely to internationalize early than non-family firms.