Family firms (FFs) tend to display specific characteristics that differentiate them from non-fami... more Family firms (FFs) tend to display specific characteristics that differentiate them from non-family companies. In addition to the importance that FFs hold for the economic structure of many countries, their characteristics have motivated a wide range of research studies, including succession, corporate governance, and strategic management. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of resources (i.e. internationalisation networks), capabilities (i.e. employee characteristics and knowledge), and market orientation (i.e. internationalisation motivations), and how these facets influence the international performance of FFs. To this end, we administered a web-based questionnaire to a sample of 212 small and medium-sized FFs based in Portugal. In terms of the research methodology, we applied structural equation modelling (SEM) to test our hypotheses. We found that not only do resources and capabilities return a positive impact on internationalisation motivations, but also the combi...
In the last decades, the academic literature has devoted considerable attention to the determinan... more In the last decades, the academic literature has devoted considerable attention to the determinants of export performance. In result of those research efforts in identifying and examining the influence of such determinants, the literature presents a wide set of variables associated with higher levels of exports. This paper provides a contribution to that literature by trying to evidence the impact of firm certification—namely, in terms of the firm’s quality, environmental, and health and safety management systems—on export performance. The paper analyses an unbalanced sample of 1684 Portuguese industrial SMEs for the period 2010 to 2020, uses other determinants of internationalization as control variables, and explores the possibility of moderating effects on the certification–internationalization relationship. Two alternative econometric methods are employed: a random-effects model and a Tobit model. The results evidence the importance for firms, especially in the low or medium–low...
Fatores potenciadores de internacionalização - estudo comparativo para as empresas portuguesas entre 2014 e 2019
EnglishBased on an exhaustive review of the literature, this research aims to investigate the imp... more EnglishBased on an exhaustive review of the literature, this research aims to investigate the importance assigned to several factors considered as drivers of the internationalization process by companies that internationalize early in their life cycle, using the assessment of the entrepreneurs' own opinions. Factors such as the relational networks, the specific skills of entrepreneurs and the international experience of employees are considered. In addition to determining the drivers of the internationalization strategy of these companies, this research aims to assess, through a comparative study between the entrepreneurs' perspectives in 2014 and 2019, the possible oscillations in the international strategies of Portuguese entrepreneurs, during the period of economic crisis (2014) and a post-crisis period (2019). To achieve these objectives, we used data from a questionnaire sent to "exporting companies and/or companies interested in exporting" from the AICEP - Po...
A Competência Empreendedora, A Teoria Das Redes E A Internacionalização - Uma Abordagem Teórica
As teorias sobre internacionalizacao sofrem ate aos dias de hoje e compreensivelmente, influencia... more As teorias sobre internacionalizacao sofrem ate aos dias de hoje e compreensivelmente, influencia significativa da Teoria Economica, mas parecem nao contemplar aspetos relativos a competencias relacionais quanto a entrada de organizacoes nacionais em mercados estrangeiros. Entendemos entao que para analisar o processo de internacionalizacao e preciso compreender a dimensao espacial e as formas de articulacao dos diferentes agentes e intervenientes a partir da sua competencia empreendedora relacional. Para alem disso, fica para nos claro, que a utilizacao de ferramentas para analisar este tipo de acao empresarial tambem deve estar vinculada a politicas de formacao de competencias empreendedoras, ao aperfeicoarem a acao dos agentes economicos nos diferentes paises envolvidos e ao fomentar as suas competencias relacionais. Estas competencias, de acordo com alguma literatura mais atual, preconizam o surgimento de novas oportunidades de negocios e de sucesso nas internacionalizacoes.
Entrepreneurial skills, the theory of networks and internationalization: A theorical approach
Theories of internationalization experience up to today and understandably, a significant influen... more Theories of internationalization experience up to today and understandably, a significant influence of economic theory, but do not seem to include aspects related to relational skills of national organizations in foreign markets. To analyse the internationalization process is necessary to understand the spatial extent and forms of cooperation between the different agents and players from the entrepreneurial relational competence point of view. In addition, it is clear to us that the use of tools to analyse this kind of business action should also be linked to policies of entrepreneurial skills training, to improve the action of economic agents in the different countries involved and encourage their relational skills. These skills, according to some recent studies advocate the creation of new business opportunities and the success of internationalizations.
The aim of this paper is to empirically examine the relationship between the firms’ ownership and... more The aim of this paper is to empirically examine the relationship between the firms’ ownership and control structure, in particular the presence of foreign capital, and their internationalization levels. The internationalization of Portuguese SMEs depends on a multitude of factors, being the impact of foreign investment inflows directed to industrial SMEs a usually forgotten factor. This paper fills that gap using a balanced panel data of 5,722 firms for an eight year period beginning in 2010, researching if the presence of foreign capital influences the level and scope of internationalization, and controlling for the effects of variables such as profitability, age, size, indebtedness and sector of activity. The country of origin of the foreign capital is considered and possible non-linear effects are also tested. The results evidence that the presence in SMEs of foreign shareholders positively influences internationalization. Also, there seems to exist a non-linear relation between ...
Knowledge, and Self-Learning as drivers of regional development: tips to reflect about the angolan reality
The foundations of the angolan competitiveness, except the sectors of oil and diamonds, are the c... more The foundations of the angolan competitiveness, except the sectors of oil and diamonds, are the comparative advantages derived from the classical production factors: available hand labor, land and capital. In the new paradigm of regional development economy, these advantages are no longer relevant, mainly in view of the "new" production factor knowledge. The need to provide training courses that are more than sets of subjects (Baker & Siryk, 1989; Ferreira, 1991), and promote academic experience scenarios in which students actively participate in the construction of their training, thus stimulating selflearning (eg. Fouad & Smith, 1996; Gainor & Lent, 1998; Hackett, Betz, House & RochaSingh, 1992; Lapan, Boggs & Morrill, 1989; Lent, Brown & Larkin, 1984, 1986; Lent, Lopez & Bieschke, 1991, 1993) are essential in this development objective. The productivity of enterprises is a complex issue, difficult to understand, where the individual must always emerge as essential in th...
New Firm Formation : An Empirical Study for Portugal
In this paper we try to find out which determinants contribute to new firm formation in the Portu... more In this paper we try to find out which determinants contribute to new firm formation in the Portuguese regions. We are especially interested in determining the role played by territorial factors. To account for new firm formation two approaches are considered. In a first approach, we use the number of Portuguese industrial firms created in each concelho between 1995 and 1998, still active in 1998, divided by the total number of industrial firms in each concelho. In a second approach, we use the number of Portuguese industrial firms created in each concelho between 1995 and 1998, still active in 1998, divided by active population in each concelho. According to our results, territorial factors play an important role on firm formation. Localisation economies favour new firm formation in the industrial sector. The estimated coefficient of relative importance of small size firms in each concelho is positive and statistically significant, confirming that a good environment of small and me...
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Papers by Carla Lobo