This article explores learning among rapidly internationalizing small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and how this supports the post-internationalization growth and survival of these firms. We utilize a qualitative multiple case study approach of ten information and communication technology (ICT) SMEs from a key emerging market—India. Findings suggest that during the post-entry stage, rapidly internationalizing SMEs use a wide range of internal and external sources of knowledge. External sources of knowledge include peer networks, associations in the same industry, international clients/partners, and international connections developed through trade fairs and trade missions. Internal sources of knowledge such as self-learning, especially from trial-and-error and experiential efforts, were found to enhance product, market and technological knowledge; and consequently aided geographic and product diversification. The findings also indicate that firms use a mix of integrated, vicarious, congenital and experiential learning approaches in their post-entry growth and survival phases. Experiential and congenital learning were found to be facilitated by firms’ internal network sources, whereas external network sources provide an ideal platform for vicarious learning. The study provides new insights into networking and learning by providing evidence that exposure to and connection with diverse types of networks can result in various forms of valuable learning for rapidly internationalizing SMEs, which enhances their post-entry growth.

Over the past 20 years, universities have been faced with sustained change, driven by external factors. This has led to the evolution of the teaching and research mission and the creation and rise of the third mission. Such mission extension has led to the emergence of entrepreneurial universities which has seen a move from traditional research and teaching business models, to business models which incorporate a much wider range of activities, to meet stakeholder demands as well as sustaining and growing universities in the era of intense national and international competition. This special issue extends knowledge by providing novel insights into the multidimensional antecedent contextual influences, consequences and implications of university mission expansion. We also provide a foundational research agenda which will help guide future research exploring the changing and expanding university missions and business models.

The unique challenges posed by COVID‐19 call for new insights into how firms respond to multiheaded and multistage evolving global crises. Whilst prior research acknowledges the potential role flexible organizational designs and top management teams (TMTs) have for crisis management, these bodies of literature have evolved separately with limited cross‐fertilization. In this study, we seek to provide a contextualized explanation of research phenomena by drawing upon multiple layers of context – namely the environment, TMT and organisational context. Our findings provide vital insights into how emerging market Indian SMEs’ organizational designs and TMT configurations led to differential COVID‐19 crisis response strategies. We develop a typology that identifies four strategic responses and illustrate that not all emerging market SMEs are vulnerable at the time of crisis. Our findings extend knowledge on how emerging market SMEs can navigate external shocks such as those caused by COVID‐19. In particular, our research has implications for policymakers and emerging market firms seeking to understand and implement effective organizational designs and policies that can weather the current COVID‐19 pandemic, as well as future multiheaded and multistage black swan crises.