Internationalization of Knowledge-based Companies: The role of foreign market knowledge and International entrepreneurial opportunity recognition

In the theoretical literature of business, emphasis is placed on the key role of internationalization in enhancing the quality of organizational functions as well as the final variables such as efficiency and effectiveness. Considering this importance and considering the role of knowledge-based companies in creating employment and entrepreneurship, in this research the impact of variables of foreign market knowledge and international entrepreneurship opportunity recognition in small and medium enterprises have been investigated. The present study is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive - correlation in terms of its nature and method. Data were collected from 157 knowledgeable companies from all over the country. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling method using partial least squares and Smart PLS software. The findings of this research show that foreign market knowledge and recognition of international entrepreneurship opportunities have a positive impact on the internationalization of knowledge-based enterprises, also, the role of the mediator variable of international entrepreneurial opportunity recognition in the relationship between foreign market knowledge and internationalization was confirmed. So, it is necessary to consider the development of the capabilities for recognizing market knowledge and identifying the international entrepreneurship opportunities of managers and practitioners as strategic priorities in order to contribute to the positive spillovers of knowledge based companies on the country's economy.