INTERNATIONALIZATION OF ENTERPRISES AS ASSESSED BY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: PROSPECTIVE AND CURRENT ENTREPRENEURS

Abstract

The article is aimed at presenting selected insights into the perception of internationalization by university students who are viewed as either current or prospective entrepreneurs. Its theoretical part offers a general overview of selected definitions, theories and models of internationalization and international entrepreneurship. Part two presents the results of empirical surveys of the students of selected institutions of higher education in Poznań, Poland, carried out by means of an auditorium questionnaire. Today’s economies are increasingly linked across countries through integration groups and enterprises. The more their business operations and transactions focus on foreign economies, the more international enterprises become. Polish businesses are less internationalized than those in more developed countries. Nevertheless, they increasingly choose to venture abroad. According to the most recent statistics published by the National Bank of Poland, Polish direct investors invested a total of PLN 12.1 billion in 2015 (NBP, 2017). The literature offers numerous classifications of the reasons why enterprises of various sizes are driven to go international. The majority of authors operate on the assumption that enterprise internationalization is the direct consequence of the approaches adopted by business owners. For economic and social reasons, it is therefore essential to educate the public and, particularly students and university graduates, and to encourage them to become proactive.