Cognitive Map for Identifying the Determinants of the Early and Rapidly Internationalizing Firms

The objective of this paper is to draw an average cognitive map of 106 Tunisian entrepreneurs and managers in order to contribute to the understanding on the early and rapid internationalization of their business. By using the MicMac program, the empirical results show that the cognitive approach is a relevant way for interpreting this phenomenon. The findings reveal that the international environment, strategic orientation of the firm, international transports and telecommunications, and some internal factors related to the entrepreneur and manager represent the main determinant of early and rapidly internationalizing new ventures in Tunisia. Our study extends the entrepreneurship literature and previous studies by proposing a new approach to building an average cognitive map for the explanation of early and rapidly internationalizing firms. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014