Language Operative Capacity in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

Ankita Tibrewal; Ad de Jong; Geoff Parkes; Helene Tenzer; Melissa Bel-Lahsen

doi:10.1007/s11575-024-00556-2

Language Operative Capacity in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

Ankita Tibrewal, Ad de Jong^*, Geoff Parkes, Helene Tenzer, Melissa Bel-Lahsen

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Language-related IB research predominantly targets large MNCs, often overlooking the challenges that internationalizing SMEs face in effectively utilizing their limited language resources. To address this gap and assist SMEs in overcoming their unique language challenges, we develop a scale for language operative capacity (LOC), which measures a firm’s capacity to deploy language resources most productively throughout its global operations. We validate this instrument with data from 417 SMEs and examine its impact on two critical internationalization metrics: export performance and international networking capability. Our study makes three key contributions to language-related IB research and capacity research. First, we provide a comprehensive and robust LOC instrument, incorporating distinctions between potential and realized capacity from the capacity literature. Second, we offer a deeper understanding of language as a multi-level phenomenon by highlighting the interaction between individual-level language skills and organizational-level capacities. Third, we extend the scarce language-related IB research on SMEs by offering a nuanced understanding of LOC as a strategic resource, by validating the LOC instrument in the context of internationalizing SMEs, and by demonstrating its explanatory power for essential internationalization metrics. Additionally, our research provides SMEs with an actionable tool to assess their linguistic capacities, develop their language resources and optimize the use of these language resources in international operations.

Original language	English
Number of pages	35
Journal	Management International Review
Early online date	30 Oct 2024
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s11575-024-00556-2
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 30 Oct 2024

Bibliographical note

Copyright © The Author(s) 2024. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License,
which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long
as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative
Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this
article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line
to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended
use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission
directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .

Keywords

Export performance
Internationalization
Language operative capacity
Networking capability
Scale development
SMEs

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10.1007/s11575-024-00556-2Licence: CC BY 4.0

Language Operative in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises_2024
Copyright © The Author(s) 2024. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .
Final published version, 370 KBLicence: CC BY 4.0

Cite this

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title = "Language Operative Capacity in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises",

abstract = "Language-related IB research predominantly targets large MNCs, often overlooking the challenges that internationalizing SMEs face in effectively utilizing their limited language resources. To address this gap and assist SMEs in overcoming their unique language challenges, we develop a scale for language operative capacity (LOC), which measures a firm{\textquoteright}s capacity to deploy language resources most productively throughout its global operations. We validate this instrument with data from 417 SMEs and examine its impact on two critical internationalization metrics: export performance and international networking capability. Our study makes three key contributions to language-related IB research and capacity research. First, we provide a comprehensive and robust LOC instrument, incorporating distinctions between potential and realized capacity from the capacity literature. Second, we offer a deeper understanding of language as a multi-level phenomenon by highlighting the interaction between individual-level language skills and organizational-level capacities. Third, we extend the scarce language-related IB research on SMEs by offering a nuanced understanding of LOC as a strategic resource, by validating the LOC instrument in the context of internationalizing SMEs, and by demonstrating its explanatory power for essential internationalization metrics. Additionally, our research provides SMEs with an actionable tool to assess their linguistic capacities, develop their language resources and optimize the use of these language resources in international operations.",

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author = "Ankita Tibrewal and {de Jong}, Ad and Geoff Parkes and Helene Tenzer and Melissa Bel-Lahsen",

note = "Copyright {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2024. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article{\textquoteright}s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article{\textquoteright}s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .",

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N1 - Copyright © The Author(s) 2024. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .

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KW - Networking capability

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JO - Management International Review

JF - Management International Review

ER -

Language Operative Capacity in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

Abstract

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Keywords

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