Internationalization and Growth of SMEs: Psychological and Sociological Characteristics of Entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurship and management have studied various personal characteristics of entrepreneurs along with their sociological background. The findings were mixed, with some establishing that personality characteristics predict entrepreneurial success while others placed more emphasis on sociological factors. In this research, the authors considered both psychological and sociological factors of entrepreneurs in the internationalization and growth of their small and medium-sized enterprises. A new model was developed and empirically verified with the personality and sociological background stimulated internationalization and growth of SMEs and additionally discovered some important personality and sociological factors that influence such internationalization and growth. The results include suggestions for improving the internationalization, growth, and competitiveness of companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]