Professor shares entrepreneurship research in Peru through Fulbright grant
5 – minute read
People who live and work outside of their native countries often possess a distinctive ability to identify new international business opportunities — a factor that businesses could leverage to help increase global entrepreneurship activities.
That is among the findings of a research project led by Jase Ramsey, professor of management in Florida Gulf Coast University’s Lutgert College of Business. The research is detailed in a paper titled “The Experience Dilemma: A Nonlinear Exploration of Antecedents to Entrepreneurial Alertness” published in the Journal of International Management. Ramsey recently visited Peru to share the findings as a Fulbright Specialist.
The study examined how some people are better than others at recognizing opportunities for business ventures on a global scale, a concept called “entrepreneurial alertness.” The project specifically focused on expatriates — individuals who move abroad for work purposes.
Experts say entrepreneurial alertness involves three primary activities: actively searching for information, connecting seemingly unrelated data and assessing whether these insights can lead to profitable business endeavors.
“This talent highlights how some individuals can discover business opportunities that escape others,” Ramsey said. “It’s particularly fascinating in the realm of international entrepreneurship and expatriates, who bring unique viewpoints compared to domestic entrepreneurs due to their exposure to diverse markets and business environments worldwide.”
The expatriate experience
Ramsey and his co-researchers focused on expatriates because they frequently possess unique abilities to assess entrepreneurial opportunities on a global scale.
“Their extensive exposure to diverse international environments equips them with the same entrepreneurial skills as traditional entrepreneurs but with the added advantage of taking calculated risks and leveraging their companies’ global expertise and resources,” he said. “By studying how expatriates identify international opportunities, we can gain valuable insights that enhance both the theoretical understanding and practical applications of international entrepreneurship.”
To conduct the study, Ramsey and his colleagues focused on 210 Australian expatriates working in the United States, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia, asking questions through an online survey.
The study measured participants’ entrepreneurial alertness, international experience, time in assignment and their perception of differences between home and host countries. The latter factor is referred to as “perceived institutional distance.”
Findings from the study suggest that too much or too little international experience can have an impact on an expatriate’s entrepreneurial alertness, Ramsey said.
“Similarly, time spent on assignment follows the same pattern — both too short and too long durations can affect alertness,” he said. “Moreover, the study found that these relationships are influenced by how different the home and host countries are perceived, adding another layer of complexity.”
In effect, an expatriate’s perception of differences between home and host nations influences the effects of international experience and time on assignment on entrepreneurial alertness, he said.
“When expatriates perceive a significant gap between their home and host countries, the benefits of having moderate international experience and time on assignment become even more apparent in boosting entrepreneurial awareness,” Ramsey said.
Additional tests revealed other interesting insights, he said. Among them was the finding that the number of countries visited, or the breadth of international experience, had the most significant impact on enhancing entrepreneurial awareness.
Benefits to Southwest Florida
While the study doesn’t specifically focus on Southwest Florida, the findings could benefit any region looking to enhance international entrepreneurship, Ramsey said.
“Southwest Florida, a burgeoning hub for international business and expatriates, stands to gain significantly. Delving deeper into this research could further boost the local economy by promoting the retention of international talent,” he said.
“Understanding the factors influencing entrepreneurial awareness in expatriates can help develop strategies to attract and retain international talent. This, in turn, would stimulate the local economy with new business ventures,” Ramsey said. “Ultimately, companies in Southwest Florida could leverage these insights to better appreciate the positive impact expatriates can have on the local economy through international entrepreneurship and business innovation.”
Amir Neto, director of FGCU’s Regional Economic Research Institute, said Ramsey’s finding that the right amount of international experience can improve entrepreneurial alertness has interesting implications for the regional economy.
“Jase’s result can be useful for local decision-makers to potentially incentivize companies to bring international workers to the region and send some of their workers abroad. Southwest Florida population growth depends on migration, both national and international. In both situations — bringing people and sending people — we increase the likelihood of opportunities to be recognized and pursued,” Neto said.
“This should create positive effects on the economy as new businesses or in-house initiatives are developed and existing gaps are closed, improving productivity and outcomes,” he said. “On the other hand, expatriates bring diversity to our communities, which is associated with resiliency and growth.”
Ramsey’s co-authors on his published paper are: Melanie P. Lorenz, associate professor of marketing at Florida Atlantic University; Steven M. Farmer, professor and W. Frank Barton Distinguished Chair in Business at Wichita State University; and Jintong Tang, Mary Louise Murray Endowed Professor of Management at Saint Louis University.