Knowing the factors affecting the intensity of internationalization of technology-oriented companies in Iran

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of technological Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Entrepreneurship, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics, Management & Accounting, Yazd University, Yazd. Iran.

3 Department of Entrepreneurship Development, Faculty of Entrepreneurship, University of Tehran, Iran.

10.22059/jed.2024.358958.654190

Abstract

Objective: According to statistics provided by the Small Industries Investment Support Fund in 2017, Iranian businesses accounted for only 10% of the country's export volume. Furthermore, technology-oriented businesses with advanced products made up only 1.5% of Iran's non-oil exports, according to the United Nations Development Fund. This indicates that Iran has not been successful in this area, and its rank in this field is lower than that of other countries in the region. Developed countries, on the other hand, emphasize the expansion of agriculture and technological industries. Therefore, there is a significant performance gap and unfavorable state of Iran's economic drivers when comparing the country's statistics and current position with the lofty goals set. Also, since each of the researches have dealt with specific dimensions of the variables affecting the internationalization of businesses and the lack of research that has discussed the intensity of internationalization in relation to strategic agility and entrepreneurial orientation and digital technologies is felt, And since until the research, these structures have not been examined with this combination, this research is innovative in this sense. The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of digital technologies on the intensity of internationalization of technology-oriented businesses, with the mediating role of strategic agility and the moderating role of entrepreneurial orientation.
Method: The current research is a descriptive-correlational type of research with a practical purpose and data collection through a questionnaire. The statistical population of the research includes technology-oriented businesses in Iran since April 2023, which have a history of exporting. To be considered a technology business, the goods and services of these businesses must be in the field of high or medium to high technologies, and the goods offered must be in production or at least at the level of a laboratory sample (capable of technical review) and services must have sales documents. The population of this research includes 305 employees of these businesses who are active in the fields of international trade. A sample size of 170 people was obtained using available sampling based on Cochran's formula and with an error level of 5% at a confidence level of 95%. The researchers used a 13-item questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale (5 = completely agree to 1 = completely disagree) derived from standard questionnaires to collect information. The relationships between variables were investigated using the SmartPLS3 software and the structural equation modeling method, which is a statistical model to investigate the relationship between latent variables and manifest variables.
Results: The analysis of SmartPLS3 software showed that digital technologies have a direct and positive effect on the intensity of internationalization of technology-based businesses. Entrepreneurial orientation as a moderator and strategic agility as a mediating variable have a positive and significant effect as well. Therefore, businesses, especially technology-oriented ones, should consider the impact of digital technologies on the intensity of internationalization. They should digitize their processes by using digital technologies to enter and operate more successfully in international markets. Additionally, they should increase the intensity of internationalization by raising the level of strategic agility and using entrepreneurial orientation in their activities.
Conclusion: Technology-oriented companies operating in technology-intensive environments can expand the market for their technologies through internationalization of sales. They may do so in response to small, mature, or highly competitive domestic markets, or because they perceive greater opportunities in foreign markets. In general, the internationalization of technology-based firms is likely to increase as the world integrates, trade barriers decrease, and transportation and communications become more efficient. Therefore, the use of digital technologies can help businesses build better relationships with customers and suppliers, improve productivity, and facilitate faster internationalization. Therefore, it is better for businesses to consider their strategic agility while investing in the use of digital technologies so that they can quickly change their innovations according to the demands of customers and obtain specific information from competitors and improve their products. Design and develop faster and send to international markets.

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References

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