EMC Research Fellow
Martina Musteen, Ph. D.
Assistant Professor of Management
mmusteen@mail.sdsu.edu
Martina Musteen received her Ph.D. from the University of Kansas (KU) and her master?s from CIMBA, Italy. She completed her
undergraduate work at the European Division of the University of Maryland in Heidelberg, Germany, where she graduated summa
cum laude. Martina has won multiple awards for her teaching performance at KU and presented her research at numerous academic
conferences. She is a member of the Academy of Management, Academy of International Business and Strategic Management Society.
Her research interests include international entrepreneurship, knowledge transfer, social network theory, managerial
cognition, and corporate reputation. Martina is currently involved in several research projects designed to examine factors
influencing the internationalization of entrepreneurial ventures and the role of networks in firms? learning about foreign
markets.
Research Abstract
The objective of my research is to identify factors that influence the capacity of young international ventures to learn in
foreign markets and examine the implications of such learning from the viewpoint of subsequent performance. As Zahra (2005)
and others (e.g., Liesch & Knight, 1999) point out, the process of gathering, interpreting and disseminating intelligence
pertaining to foreign markets is an important dimension of international entrepreneurship. For small, resource-constrained
firms, the ability to learn quickly in foreign markets can be a particularly important source of competitive advantage
(Autio, Sapienza, & Almeida, 2000). However, studies on ventures? ability to learn in international markets and the
implications of such learning for future performance are lacking. My research project is designed to fill this important gap
in international entrepreneurship and knowledge transfer literature.
The project is based on a sample of approximately 200 entrepreneurial ventures in the Czech Republic drawn from a proprietary
database of Czech firms. The empirical study involves a direct measurement of foreign market knowledge gains in these
ventures after their entry into foreign markets. I study such knowledge gains in the context of the strategic orientation
of these firms and their initial stock of foreign market knowledge prior to internationalization. Given the dearth of
research on firm learning in international contexts, I believe that the study findings will help advance our understanding
of the importance of learning in the internationalization of entrepreneurial ventures and the performance outcomes associated
with such internationalization.
In their own words
On becoming interested in this particular topic:
I believe that understanding factors that lead young firms to learn (and thus become more effective) in international markets is interesting not only from a theoretical viewpoint but also on a practical level. In my conversations with entrepreneurs I have found that learning about foreign markets and the opportunities therein can affect the ability of their firms to compete and, especially in the context of a transition economy such as the Czech Republic, it can have an important influence on whether their firms survive and flourish in the long term. Thus, I believe there is a great value in gaining more insight into how young firms learn and what enables such learning.
