ABSTRACT
The article aims at discussing the phenomenon of internationalization of innovative micro, small and medium size firms in Brazil. The worldwide growth of this phenomenon is related to economic, scientific and technological changes that marked the twentieth century over the last few decades. The article is an exploratory and descriptive study based on research that surveyed 60 innovative companies located in the cities of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Campinas, Porto Alegre and Florianópolis. The data collected suggest that the country's economic, social and cultural environment tends to favor these companies' internationalization process - through globalization, new technologies and public policies - as well as to weaken them – through an unfavorable fiscal environment, excessive bureaucracy, economic and cultural isolation, low level of qualification of human resources and economic instability. However, any generalization would be hasty given the nature of the sample, restricted and not random.
Keywords:
Brazil; Internationalization; Innovative companies; International entrepreneurship; New technologies