Human resources and internationalisation processes. A cognitive based view

The paper aims at contributing to the complex debate about the role of human resources in advancing or hampering companies’ internationalisation processes. Adopting a cognitive-based view, a set of variables for coding the role of human resources in internationalisation processes are identified, and their relations with companies’ return on sales (ROS) in foreign countries are tested using structural equation modelling. From empirical research involving 638 employees from 45 Italian small and medium enterprises, the findings extend the managerial literature on internationalisation processes and human resource management, highlighting the impact of employees’ previous international job experience, culture of origin, cultural orientation towards globalisation and educational background on companies’ ROS in foreign countries.