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It is well known how large firms pursue ambidexterity as a way to overcome organizational inertia. However, this does not apply to small entrepreneurial firms where resources are scarce. This paper examines to what extent a Born Global Firm (BGF) can be considered an ambidextrous organization and what the main drivers of this ambidexterity are. I used a multi case-study comparison research method based on firms’ analyses of a selected number of BGFs. My findings reveal that BGFs can be considered ambidextrous firms and highlight two main determinants for ambidexterity: customer orientation and knowledge-sharing organizational culture.

Coaching for all (C4all) is a project created by TESE-Associação para o Desenvolvimento or TESE-Association for development (TESE), aimed at disseminating and democratizing access to coaching methods among people seeking employment and other vulnerable groups of people. The initial results of the C4All project were well below their expectations. Therefore, we developed a Business Plan in order to understand if and how the performance of C4all can be improved. The results of our analysis suggest a number of changes that C4all need to undertake in order to survive and achieve better outcomes in the future

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics The growing significance of companies that conduct international business at or near their funding has been critically challenging previous incremental models of international expansion. This thesis aims to cross-compare, by means of a multiple-case study, eight Portuguese start-ups among themselves and with the theoretical concept of born global firms versus traditional ones. This work project finds that: (1) active entrepreneurs with global vision from inception are essential for the implementation of international strategies; (2) only formal network plays a key role for successful internationalization and (3) inimitable sources of value creation, niche-focused strategies and unique intangible assets are also crucial.