Title: Entrepreneurial education and internationalisation of firms in transition economies: a conceptual framework from the case of Croatia

Authors: Riccardo Rialti; Massimiliano M. Pellegrini; Andrea Caputo; Marina Dabic

Addresses: DISEI-Dipartimento di Scienze per l'Economia e l'Impresa, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Firenze, Italy ' Claude Littner Business School, University of West London, London, UK ' Lincoln Business School, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK ' Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, J.F. Kennedy Square 6, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University, Burton street, Nottingham NG1 4BU, UK

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to offer an integrated perspective on internationalisation process in transition economies and the role that an entrepreneurial education can play in it. The context of a transition economy, such those countries belonging to the former Yugoslavian republic, deeply affect the entrepreneurial activities established. Internationalisation offers a viable advantage to entrepreneurs and their firms to overcome a limited internal market and hostile conditions faced in the local environment. Thanks to the results obtained by a stream of studies focused on the entrepreneurial context in Croatia, we build a framework to explore the problems faced by entrepreneurs when internationalisation is considered and possible solutions. Our main contribution is the proposition of an entrepreneurial education as facilitator of the process. Indeed, entrepreneurial education, considered as formal education and an entrepreneurial university context, can directly ameliorate the process of internationalisation. Simultaneously it can also affect the networking strategy that in literature is another prominent element tackled regarding the problem of internationalisation in transition economies. Thus, entrepreneurial education may represent a strong boost in which to invest with public policies and targeted interventions.

Keywords: entrepreneurship education; internationalisation; transition economies; Croatia; networking strategy; networks; formal education; entrepreneurial universities; higher education.

DOI: 10.1504/WREMSD.2017.083027

World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, 2017 Vol.13 No.2/3, pp.290 - 313

Received: 11 Jan 2016
Accepted: 04 Feb 2016
Published online: 18 Mar 2017 *

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