Adam Smith Business School

International Business, Entrepreneurship & Society Cluster - Research Focus Areas

At the International Business, Entrepreneurship & Society cluster, we explore how entrepreneurship intersects with global challenges, new technologies, and inclusive growth. Our research spans diverse contexts, from rural communities to multinational firms, and is united by a commitment to impact, innovation and insight. Through four core focus areas, we examine the people, processes and policies that shape entrepreneurial outcomes across the globe.

A picture of a earth with connections between points with a picture of the Adam Smith Business School building in the background, all in colour blue

We study the internationalisation of entrepreneurial firms and SMEs. Our research focuses on: 

  • Established SMEs and how they address the challenges of doing business abroad, including exporters and micro multinationals. 
  • Early-stage and rapidly internationalising firms and how they manage the effects of newness and smallness. 
  • Policy and support mechanisms that help SMEs innovate and compete in response to changing global environments. 

Margaret Fletcher, Junzhe Ji, Rose Narooz, Yee Kwan Tang, Iyke Ikegwuonu and Abrar Ali Saiyed 

We study how global forces and historical hierarchies shape business schools and the experiences of management scholars worldwide. This includes how scholars navigate pressures to publish in international journals and how West-centric assumptions influence management research and education.  We also study how multinational corporations organise across national borders and how they shape work and societies globally. Within this broad domain, we have particular expertise in professional service firms (PSFs) – influential drivers of globalisation that shape markets, governance and worker identities across nations. 

Mehdi Boussebaa 

We examine how emerging technologies – such as artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, biotech, blockchain and digital public infrastructure – can enable entrepreneurship with meaningful societal impact. We focus on understanding how innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems form around disruptive technologies and identifying strategies to scale technology-driven ventures in diverse contexts. Through collaborative projects, we generate insights that inform policy, practice, and theory on building inclusive, resilient and responsive innovation systems. Representative outputs from this work include studies on AI in entrepreneurship, blockchain in the music industry, co-creating innovation ecosystems under conditions of uncertainty, and digital public infrastructure for informal entrepreneurship. 

Dominic Chalmers, Sreevas Sahasranamam, Gemma Milne, Felix Honecker, Iyke Ikegwuonu, Junzhe Ji, Bernd Wurth 

Hand holding a smart phone and reacting with emoticons
Hand holding a smart phone and reacting with emoticons

Deceptive Entrepreneurship in Digital Spaces

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 14:20:00 GMT

This project investigates how entrepreneurs use digital platforms to construct deceptive narratives, uncovering the tactics they deploy and how audiences respond. The research aims to shape policy, protect consumers, and foster more transparent digital entrepreneurship.

Hands holding coins and plants
Hands holding coins and plants

Focused Research Organisations: Building a Resilient, Mission-Driven R&D Ecosystem

Fri, 12 Dec 2025 18:58:00 GMT

Could novel research organisations help the UK deliver more ambitious science? A new research project led by Gemma Milne is exploring whether a new kind of research institution, the Focused Research Organisation (FRO), could strengthen the UK’s capacity for mission-driven innovation. In partnership with Convergent UK, the project aims to provide evidence and insights to inform future R&D policy and funding strategies.

A map of the world with connecting lines between countries
A map of the world with connecting lines between countries

Techno-geopolitical Uncertainty and Chinese Technology Companies in the UK

Fri, 12 Dec 2025 18:40:38 GMT

How does global tension shape business strategy? This project explores how Chinese technology firms navigate rising political and technological risks when operating in the UK.

We advance theory and practice in social and rural entrepreneurship, with an emphasis on sustainability and inclusive development. This includes examining the role of ecosystems, policy frameworks, impact investment and innovative business models that enable ventures to create measurable social impact. Representative outputs from this theme include studies on social enterprise financing, philanthropy and entrepreneurship, institutions and social entrepreneurship, grassroots  innovation and entrepreneurship, policy oriented global reports around entrepreneurship and SDGs. Members of the cluster also contribute as advisors to global forums such as G20 and World Economic Forum on this topic. 

Saurabh Lall, Jillian Gordon, Sreevas Sahasranamam, Lauren Tuckerman and Abrar Ali Saiyed 

A group of point in the shape of the earth with pictures of people and technology
A group of point in the shape of the earth with pictures of people and technology

Strengthening entrepreneurship and innovation in the Global South

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 18:06:00 BST

Professor Sreevas Sahasranamam is leading research to build inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystems across India and the wider Global South.

Stacks of coins with little plants growing on top of them
Stacks of coins with little plants growing on top of them

Tracking Global Entrepreneurship: Insights from GEM 2024/25

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 15:15:00 GMT

From fear of failure to AI uncertainty, Professor Sreevas Saharasnamam reveals the challenges facing entrepreneurs worldwide and how policy can help overcome them.