Conclusion

Abstract

In the introduction of this study, E-Ventures firms and their internationalization trajectories are described. These firms are young and small in terms of employees and, therefore, flexible, active, competitive in market niches and have business models based on digitalized data networks. What is more, these firms are lead by managers, who individually or in small teams determine the strategic development of the firms. Also due to the nature of the Net Economy, these decision-makers are believed to exhibit an innate propensity to engage in a significant level of international business activities at or near inception. This is especially due to the ‘death of distance’ between the entrepreneurial firm and the universally accessible client in the Net Economy. In consequence, the original research question of this thesis is: What is the internationalization propensity of firms in the Net Economy? This research question contains two aspects:

• What are the basic parameters of the first internationalization decision of a firm in the Net Economy?

• What are the influencing factors of the internationalization propensity of entrepreneurs in the Net Economy?