Research on International Ventures – Dr. Ben Oviatt
Seminar Friday March 4th
Research on International Ventures – Dr. Ben Oviatt
The seminar started with Dr. Ben Oviatt introducing his focus on research into international ventures and his motives for exploring the subject material. He defined his focus as “the discovery, enactment, evaluation, and exploitation of opportunities across national borders to create future goods and services.” He went on to explain the study of entrepreneurial activity that crosses national borders and domestic entrepreneurial activity in multiple countries. Dr. Oviatt called it “international new ventures”, selling from the outset in multiple countries. He then explained that the internationalization tends to require technology, entrepreneurial opportunity and a motivating value in order to be successful. In the course of research he devised two hypotheses on the probability of a venture going international increases: 1. with the technology knowledge of the partner, but only one time; 2. with the market’s knowledge of its foreign partners, and is observed quickly. He went on to note that ventures are more likely to have innovative technology partners, have more foreign market partners, and are a prime broker investment. Dr. Oviatt explained to attending PhD students how to do research, the different aspects of international networks and the relationship between alliance partners (as other firms).
Dr. Oviatt has recently had the paper he talked about accepted by the Strategic Management Journal.
Abstract:
Scholars have conducted research on international new ventures (i.e., start-ups that from inception seek sales across national borders) for about 20 years. My talk will highlight some of the important past work on the topic, describe some of my own recent research on these firms, and identify some possibly fruitful directions for future research on international new ventures.
About Ben Oviatt
Professor Oviatt retired from Georgia State University in 2007, where he was the founding Director of the Russell International Center for Entrepreneurship and one of the founders of the Doctoral Workshop in International Entrepreneurship, which sold out during each of its 8 years of operation. In 2008 and 2009, he was the Michael Crouch Visiting Professor of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Dr. Oviatt is an experienced teacher of strategic management and entrepreneurship courses at the doctoral, masters, and undergraduate levels. In 2010, he taught new-business planning to advanced MBA students at Georgia State University. Professor Oviatt’s pioneering research on international new ventures (conducted with Dr. Patricia McDougall, Indiana University, USA) has been recognized with a number of prestigious international awards, including the 2004 Journal of International Business Studies Decade Award. Professor Oviatt’s articles have appeared or are forthcoming in Strategic Management Journal, Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Executive, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Business Venturing, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Management Science, and other publications. He has edited two books. He is currently co-editing a special forum on international entrepreneurship for the Journal of Business Venturing.
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