Exploring alternative approaches to entrepreneurial exporting: internationalization through an effectual lens

In 2017 EU exports supported 36 million jobs in the EU. Furthermore, it was estimated that on average each billion euro of extra-EU exports supported more than 13,000 jobs in the EU Exporting is widely viewed as one of the key drivers of economic growth and many traditional approaches have been applied to engender greater levels of exporting by indigenous enterprises. However, Sarasvathy [(2001). Causation and effectuation: Toward a theoretical shift from economic inevitability to entrepreneurial contingency. Academy of Management Review, 26, 243–263, (2013). An effectual approach to international entrepreneurship: Overlaps, challenges and provocative possibilities. The Journal of Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 71–95] on ‘Effectuation’ suggests that an alternative approach to achieving entrepreneurial growth might be possible. This article seeks to address a gap in existing literature regarding the relationship between exporting and effectuation.