Narratives of Internationalisation : Legitimacy, Standards and Portfolio Entrepreneurs

This book makes a rare - but often advocated - contribution to research in entrepreneurship and international business by providing a richly contextualised longitudinal case study of the growth and internationalisation of a cluster of small firms over more than 20 years.Sara McGaughey presents a vivid, ethnographically-inspired narrative using creative forms of writing - including diary extracts, dramas, personal narratives and a cartoon - that draws the reader into the world experienced by the entrepreneurs, and conveys the unfolding context of the research process itself. The author interprets key events and activities such as export market choice, institutional entrepreneurship and portfolio activities in international new venturing through the lens of legitimacy and legitimation processes.

The rich empirical and methodological contextualisation invites all readers to reinterpret these events and activities using their own diverse perspectives. This unique book will strongly appeal to practitioners and scholars of international entrepreneurship, international business, business history and organisation studies, as well as those interested in research methods used in these fields.