Chancenorientierte unternehmerische Nachhaltigkeit als Treiber der Internationalisierung von KMU

Business sustainability has gained in importance worldwide over the last decades. However, many companies, especially SMEs, take up a defensive stance on business sustainability and perceive it as a necessity rather than an opportunity. With this background in mind, the article analyzes, if and how opportunity-targeted sustainability orientation can represent a competitive advantage that drives the internationalization of SMEs. The qualitative empirical analysis is based on a good-practice case of a medium sized enterprise in the organic food industry with a strong sustainability orientation. Its process of internationalization is analyzed stepwise to carve out the importance of its sustainability orientation. The analysis shows that business sustainability can represent a fundamental trigger for internationalization and robust competitive advantage, when it is pursued in a comprehensive, opportunity-oriented and authentic way. Simultaneously, it shapes the internationalization process, from market choice to market entry and market development.