Migrants, Language, and Internationalization of Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises: A Literature Review

In this chapter, we review previous research on migrants, language, and firm internationalization from the perspective of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We undertake an interdisciplinary review of 59 publications in the fields of International Business, International Entrepreneurship, Industrial Marketing and Purchasing, and Economics that have been published between 1968 and 2019. Our review shows that previous research has seldom addressed these topics simultaneously. We find that language skills - or the lack thereof - significantly affect the internationalization of SMEs. In particular, the native language proficiency and cultural knowledge of migrants may play a key role in encouraging SMEs to target migrants' country of origin in their internationalization. We conceptualize native languages of migrants as a resource for SME internationalization. Since many societies today are destinations for increasing migration, these incoming talents could assist SMEs in achieving their targets for international growth.