1. Born global firms make large foreign sales at birth or shortly afterwards, which is considered an anomaly in international business.
2. The role of a born global firm's business model (BM) in achieving early international success is often overlooked.
3. A niche BM and the international work experience of founders are statistically significant factors in a firm's ability to become a born global within a short time span.
The article "What’s so special about born globals, their entrepreneurs or their business model?" by Hennart, Majocchi, and Hagen explores the factors that contribute to the success of born global firms. The authors argue that while previous research has focused on the resources and strategies used by these firms, the role of their business model has been overlooked.
The study analyzes a sample of Italian SMEs to determine how long it took them to reach born global status. The authors find that variables related to a firm's focus on a niche business model and the international work experience of its founders are statistically significant in predicting born global success. In contrast, variables related to a firm's technological intensity and use of domestic networks are not significant.
Overall, the article provides valuable insights into the factors that contribute to born global success. However, there are some potential biases and limitations in the study that should be considered.
Firstly, the study only focuses on Italian SMEs, which may limit its generalizability to other contexts. Additionally, the authors do not provide a clear definition of what constitutes a "niche" business model, which could lead to subjective interpretations.
Furthermore, while the authors argue that previous research has overlooked the role of business models in born global success, they do not provide evidence for this claim or explore counterarguments. It is possible that other studies have indeed examined this factor but have not found it to be as significant as other factors such as resources and strategies.
Finally, while the article does not contain overtly promotional content or bias towards any particular perspective or theory, it is important to note that one of the authors (J-F Hennart) is known for his work on internalization theory and may therefore have a bias towards this perspective.
In conclusion, while "What’s so special about born globals, their entrepreneurs or their business model?" provides valuable insights into factors contributing to born global success, readers should be aware of potential biases and limitations in the study. Further research is needed to confirm the significance of business models in born global success and to explore other factors that may contribute to this phenomenon.