Entrepreneurial internationalisation of Nepalese artisanal firms: a dynamic capabilities perspective

Purpose – This research explores the role of entrepreneurs’ dynamic capabilities in small artisanal firms’ entrepreneurial internationalisation. Design/methodology/approach – The paper applies an inductive, exploratory multiple case study approach to the empirical context of the Nepalese artisanal sector. Primary data was collected through interviews and observations and triangulated by secondary data, such as firms’ websites and social media profiles. Findings – The findings suggest that entrepreneurs’ network utilisation, network-building, and marketing capabilities are crucial to enabling small artisanal firms’ entrepreneurial internationalisation. Entrepreneurs’ network-retaining, market-oriented learning, and innovative capabilities become more important as firms mature. Accordingly, the paper theorises that artisan entrepreneurs in a developing economy should build and apply different dynamic capabilities based on firms’ internationalisation phase. Originality/value – The fine-grained discussion of the findings and the six propositions from this study advance the current understanding of dynamic capabilities, entrepreneurial internationalisation, and artisan entrepreneurship literature.