SME Internationalisation Research (1992 – 2017):

A Critical Review of Existing Literature Through

Thematic Analysis

Examination Candidate Number: UCL

Postgraduate Programme: MA Comparative Business Economics (Part-

time)

Student Number: 15098739

Length of Dissertation:

Date of Submission: 7 September 2017

Declaration:

This electronic submission confirms I have read and understood the UCL

statement on plagiarism. I declare that the accompanying piece of work is all

my own. I have provided the sources of all text quoted, tables, figures, data etc.

that are not my own work I understand that SSEES may check my work

electronically.

Student: 15098739
Abbreviations and Acronyms

BG: Born Global

INV: International New Venture

MNE: Multi-national enterprise

SME: Small and medium-sized enterprise

mMNE: Micro-multi-national enterprise

IE: International entrepreneurship

IB: International business

2
 Abstract
This dissertation aims to provide a better understanding of SMEs

internationalisation by looking at it antecedents, processes and performance

outcomes. Furthermore, it carries out systematic review of literature consisting

of 35 peer-reviewed journal articles from 1992-2017 that are than classified and

coded into thematic areas that have been induced from the literature. A

discussion explores and critically evaluates the prominent areas of research

from the literature and focuses on the key emerging themes, identifying and

debating key trends and observations along with shortcoming and

inconsistencies.

3
Table of Contents

4
Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my dissertation tutor for her guidance in shaping

this dissertation and patience over the past year, which was a challenging one;

both personally and professionally. In addition, a special thanks to my personal

tutor at SEESS for his words of wisdom and advice to complete this Masters

programme, at times when it was very taught keep going, along with all the

administrative support he provided. This Masters degree would not have been

possible without the support of my colleagues who over the past two years

supported me professionally, enabling me to fill-full my UCL commitments. My

heartfelt gratitude to my parents for their kindness and love and for financially

supporting me through this journey, constantly motivating me to fulfil my higher

education dreams. Finally, a big thanks to my sister, who constantly provided

moral support and generously proofread this work.

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 1 INTRODUCTION

In this era of globalisation, the internationalisation of companies has

played an important role in shaping the global economy (Garvey and Brennan,

2006). Therefore, it is not surprise that this is an area that has intensively been

researched over the last couple of decades (McDougall and Oviatt, 2006).

While the field surrounding internationalisation has expanded vastly, in the

more recent decades the a greater interest within internationalisation literature

by academics and practitioners has been on understanding the dynamics of

internationalisation small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs1). The

contribution of SMEs to the global economy is unquestionable (Amini, 2004)

and many have considered them to be the foundations of national economies

(Peters and Waterman, 1982). The last few decades have seen an increase in

literature looking at the antecedents, processes and outcomes of SME

internationalisation (e.g. McDougall and Oviatt, 1994,1995, 1996, 2000, 2003,

2005; Keupp and Gassmann, 2007, 2009, 2013; Coviello and Jones, 2004,

2005). As access to technology has become cheaper and more accessible,

while the transport systems have quicker and more efficient, the challenges and

hurdles for expanding and maintaining international business operations have

decreased, making internationalisation an achievable goal for SMEs (Coviello

and Mcauley, 1999; Hitt et al., 2002; Rialp et al., 2005; Autio et al., 2000).

However, the rise in market globalisation has also put a lot pressure on SMEs

to internationalise fast and into multiple geographies (Oviatt and McDougall,

1994; Lu and Beamish, 2004).

1 SME - a firm with less than 50 staff and turnover less than €10m (European Commission)

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 This dissertation critically evaluates the literature focusing on the

antecedents, processes and performance outcomes for internationalising

SMEs. We review 36 selected articles that are deem relevant based on the set

criteria, published between 1992 and 2017 in management, international

business, entrepreneurship, marketing journals. Keys themes that emerge from

these papers are analysed based on their conceptual and empirical merits.

While carrying out a holistic literature review, various SME internationalisation

approaches that have emerged in the last few decades are examined. The first

part of this dissertation explores these established and emerging themes in

these models of internationalisation.

The central aim of this dissertation is to review, organise and inventory

the existing literature on the internationalisation of SMEs, which aims to forms

a basis for future explorations in theory and models pertaining to

internationalisation of SMEs. We start this exploration by looking at a broad

overview of existing models of internationalisation that have a specific focus on

SMEs. In the methodology section, using best practice guidelines on

procedures of systematic review of literature from other top management

literature reviews, a systematic, reproducible method of search, thematic

analysis and organisation of the literature is presented.

Using the methodology, a detailed literature search is carried out based

upon rigorous set criteria. The result yields 36 peer-reviewed journal articles

that are classified and coded into thematic areas that are derived from the

reviewed articles. The discussion that follows explores and critically evaluates

the prominent areas of research from the resulting literature and focuses on

7
emerging themes, identifying and debating key trends and observations along

with shortcoming and inconsistencies.

2 LITERATURE REVIEW

This section reviews the existing literature on internationalisation and

focuses on theories and models that look at the antecedents, processes and

performance outcomes of SME internationalisation. From traditional to more

recent theories and models, this literature review discusses the keys findings

and limitations regarding the highlighted theories and models.

2.1 Uppsala model

Much of the earlier internationalisation literature focuses on the

processes that a firm takes in a series of ‘incremental stages’ that lead to its

internationalisation, by progressively become involved in exporting and other

forms of business activities across the borders (Bell, 2004).

There are two main stage models of internationalisation; – the Uppsala

Internationalization Model (U-model) and the Innovation-related Model (I-

model.

The Uppsala Internationalisation Model (Johanson and Wiedersheim,

1975; Johanson and Vahlne, 1977, 1990, 2009) is one of the most renowned

internationalisation stage models, that seeks to explain this incremental

approach to internationalisation. It is a model that places greater attention on

international performance rather than the entrepreneurial nature of enterprising

SMEs (Oviatt and McDougall, 2005).

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 Figure 1. The Uppsala model of Internationalization2

The Uppsala Model is based on results of empirical investigation on four

Swedish firms (Johanson & Vahlne, 1977), with research influence from the

studies by Cyert & March (1963) and Vernon (1966). The model theorises the

nature of incremental progression of internationalisation through four sequential

steps that SMEs take toward their gradual development process (Moen et al.,

2004): (1) no export; (2) export through independent an agent; (3) establishing

international sales subsidiary; and (4) establishing foreign production and sales

subsidiary.

Johanson & Vahlne’s (1977) results of there empirical study conclude

that young firms looking to internationalise have a predispotions to expand in a

psychic3 nearby market. From the observation, they find out that companies

normally start their expansion in a psychic nearby market. By gradual process

of gaining more knowledge of that market and increased access and control of

2 Source: adaptation of Forsgren and Johanson’s (1975) model.

3 In international business literature, psychic distance is an acknowledgement of a perceived
difference between a home country and a "foreign" country regardless of physical time and space
factors, along with diversity in cultures (Usunier and Lee, 2005).

9
resources, the firm then explores more distant markets to expand into. (By

distance, they refer to both geographic and cultural, along with differences in

language, politics and barriers to accessing local market knowledge.

As Johanson and Wiedersheim (1975) previously proposed that SMEs

have to learn and acquire sufficient market knowledge prior to allocating greater

resources to the international markets and this can only be possible if

internationalisation is carried out in stages, which enables firms to reduce risk

and plan for uncertainty. Nearly 35 years later, Levie and Lichtenstein (2010)

in their investigation still showed support for this argument by postulating that

SMEs internationalise through a process of incremental sequences, by

increasing their commitment to the international markets as they progress

through each stage. Bell, Carrick and Young (2004) similarly suggest that

SMEs must successfully establish first in local markets where they operate

before considering international expansion, which forms one of the underlying

assumptions of their extant stage theory.

However, in the more recent years, this stage by stage understanding of

SME internationalisation has been conceptually criticised by several

researchers, who argue that there is an incongruence between theory and

practice in the stage models (Chadee and Mattson, 1998). They elude to the

fact that many new ventures have entered international markets rapidly, rather

than going through incremental stages, as proposed by the Uppsala Model

(Moen et al., 2004). This can be partially explained by the developments in

technology, transportation and telecommunication, which have dramatically

transformed the business environment, enabling firms to develop faster and

respond to market needs quicker (Andersen, 1993). In light of these changes,

10
Johanson and Vahlne (2003) in an honest review of their original work proposed

integrating different elements of stage models with network‐based models.

2.2 INVs and Born Globals

In the last three decades, the emergence of new breeds of SMEs has put

previous theories of internationalisation, such as the notion of incremental

internationalisation into question and their influence on contemporary

internationalisation literature cannot be understated (Aspelund, Madsen and

Moen, 2007; Evers, 2011). These firms are international from the moment of

their inception or internationalise rapidly after their formation (Oviatt and

McDougall, 1994). Various researchers have used various terminologies to

label them, from calling them ‘international new ventures’ (INV) to ‘infant

ventures’ to ‘born globals’, these firm think internationally from the start (Moen,

2004).

2.2.1 Born Global

Born global firms are formed out of a borderless worldview, from

inception they seek to commit all their resources to internationalise (Freeman

and Hutchings, 2012). Rennie (1993) was one of the first researchers to identify

born globals and noticed some of their distinctive features, such as their agile

lean nature in terms of there product development and speed, in context of

internationalisation. In one of the earliest studies on born globals, Oviatt and

McDougall (1994) observed how these firms were challenging the existing

belief that small ventures were inherently restricted in their international

ambitions due to resource poverty. It is interesting to notice the rise of born

globals in parallel to the changing global business environment, which itself

went through a transformation, in-part due to the rapid development of

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technology (Jantunen, 2008). This however tells part of the story as to why born

globals seek rapid internationalisation. According to Hutchings and Sylvie

(2012), the speed of expansion for born globals is in driven by a need to

establish new revenue streams as quick as possible. Hence, many born globals

target large developed economies, which can provide economies of scale and

are often in a culturally similar markets. That said, as Hutchings and Sylvie

(2012) argue, born globals are still more likely than traditional MNEs to move

into other markets that are culturally different.

The rise of internet has reduced barriers to information and

democratised knowledge (Rugman and Chang, 2008). This ease of access to

technology has been the biggest impetus and advantage for the rise of born

globals (Knight and Cavusgil, 1996). Cavusgil and Knight (2015) adds that born

globals are able to innovate quickly due to technological developments which

have reduced barriers to market entry, enabling SMEs to develop products in a

short time span, and follow up with quick product iterations to constantly give

them the technological edge over large firms. Importantly, born globals have a

proactive foreign market orientation, which often is rooted in a high level of

international entrepreneurial orientation according to Knight and Cavusgil

(2004).

Efrat and Shoham (2012) propose an interesting theory behind the

growth in the numbers of born globals, stating that the development of niche

markets and the overall growth in international markets has led to mutual

beneficial relationships between domestic and international partners, creating

a conducive environment for the creation of born globals. This has also been

supported by a change in the business environment, which can partially be

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 attributed to shifting entrepreneurial attitudes, evolving education and

leadership styles; these all have an influence on the organisational thinking

(Bell, 2004, Zucchella and Scabini, 2007).

2.2.2 International New Ventures

International New Ventures (INV), on the other hand, are firms that have

a domestic market focus, but are actively seeking to internationalise early in

their life cycle to maximise their competitive advantage by extending their sales

abroad (Oviatt and McDougall 1994; Rasmussen, and Servais, 2000). They

achieve this by using technology and new market conditions to their advantage

(Batra, 2015). INVs utilise their experience and expansive organisation

bandwidth to exploit opportunities in new international markets, especially

markets with a gap or a need for a particular service or product innovation

(Richter and Uhlenbruck, 2016). Nonetheless, INVs are not limited to a

particular sector or industry and can emerge in a range of different conditions

(McDougall and Oviatt, 2000).

Figure 2. The Classification of International New Ventures4

4
Source: Oviatt and McDougall (1994)

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 The underlying versatility of INVs comes from the capabilities and

knowledge of their managers and entrepreneurs (Roper, and Zhou, 2016),

along with network relationships (Madsen and Servais, 1997).

Overall, the internationalisation antecedents and outcomes of born

global and INV have been well documented and researched (Rialp and Knight,

2005). Nevertheless, the drivers and the effect of internationalisation after entry

have largely been under explored in internationalisation literature (Sui, 2012;

Efrat and Shoham, 2012).

2.3 Network Approach

The network theory implies that internationalisation happens in a far less

structured and more complex form than previously understood (Moen et al.,

2004). Networks5 act like bridging mechanisms that support a firm’s

internationalisation ambition and process (Johansson & Mattson, 1988; cited

by Mitgwe, 2006).

Network theory is partly based on the relationships SMEs have with its

keys stakeholders; such as investors, customers, industry (suppliers,

distributors, competition) and regulatory agencies (Coviello and Munro, 1995).

The underlying foundations of these relationships are based on the knowledge

exchanged and on trust. This network plays a significant role in supporting and

influencing the decision on when and where to internationalise. In addition,

network partners can help a firm innovate, along with developing new products.

The experiences and knowledge the network brings to a SME can ease up

market entry and reduce costs (Oviatt and McDougall, 2005). This is primarily

5
A network is a set of two or more associated commercial relationships, in which each exchange
relation is between firms that are conceptualised as collective actors (Emerson, 1981).

14
due to the fact that a strong network will pave the way for efficient

internationalisation by guiding the SME to successful international market entry.

Jaklic (1998) notes that networks can be extremely beneficial for SMEs

in helping them overcome knowledge and technology barriers along with

access to capital in a foreign environment. Moreover, the interpersonal

relationships of managers/founders and inter-firm relationships can have an

important role in overcoming ‘internationalisation issues’ (Coviello and Munro,

1995) such as; internationalisation timing (Oviatt and McDougall, 1994, 2005);

degree and pace of internationalisation (Bonaccorsi, 1992; Brush, 2002; Datta,

Musteen and Butts, 2014); dynamics of international market entry (Meyer and

Skak, 2002); international market selection (Andersen and Buvik, 2002);

internationalisation performance (Peng and Luo, 2000); influence of existing

customer base (Moen, 2004) and predisposition to export (Westhead, 2001).

2.4 Other theories

2.4.1 Product Life Cycle theory

A less commonly used theory to understand internationalisation of SMEs

and export processes is the Product Life Cycle theory. This theory suggests

that the natural progression for firms to first test products and services in the

domestic market, then to learn from the domestic performance and gain

feedback, before exporting abroad. Followed by making foreign investments

with the view of internationalising (Vernon et al., 1966,1971,1979). The Product

Life Cycle theory has been at the centre of several empirical studies (Herbst

and Jacobs, 2002; Karlsson and Nystrom, 2003; Hue and De, 2011; Zhu, 2009).

However, most of the literature around the Product Life Cycle theory has been

in the context of multinational enterprises (MNEs) instead of SMEs.

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 2.4.2 The Eclectic Paradigm

The eclectic paradigm (also known as OLI6 Paradigm) first theorised by

Dunning (1988) sets out to explain the various forms and patterns of

international production, often focusing on the ownership specific benefits of

internationalisation in international production. Dunning’s (1988) research

suggests that internationalisation through international production is the most

rational decision for a firm considering to internationally expand, basing his

theory on the analysis of the cost of transaction. The eclectic paradigm has

been widely used to understand internationalisation patterns amongst SMEs.

One example is Nakos and Brouthers’ (2002) empirical investigation, where

they used this paradigm successfully to predict the entry mode selection for

SMEs from Eastern and Central Europe.

2.4.3 Monopolistic Advantage Theory

Monopolistic advantage theory postulates that multinational enterprises

(MNEs) exist because they have unique sources of advantage over foreign

firms in the industry they operate in (Hymer, 1976). New firms looking to enter

the market place cannot enter take the position of the MNE, as that advantage

is a privilege to them (Pitelis, 2000). The underlying reason for this dominance

is higher ability, rooted in superior knowledge which can be found in the firms’

products, organisational capacity and talents, human capital and manufacturing

processes (Sanjaya, 1980; Ruffin, 2009). Once a firm has succeeded in

acquiring this superior knowledge, this advantage can be exploited in a foreign

market at no extra cost over doing the same in local markets (Caves, 1971).

6 Ownership-Internalization-Location

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The underlying reason for this argument is linked to the potential cost of

acquiring new knowledge for a local firm in an international market, where they

can’t compete with the knowledge and financial capital of the MNEs.

3. METHODOLOGY

The methodology opted for this systematic review of literature on the

internationalisation of SME has been adopted and modified from pervious such

reviews in the fields of management and entrepreneurship (Cook, 1997;

Busenitz, 2003; Tranfield, 2000; Hisrich, Antoncic, 2006; Denyer and Tranfield,

2008; Abatecola, 2013). This method of reviewing literature emerged in the

British medical profession with the aim of improving evidence based research.

It has since been used extensively in various other fields, including economics,

management and entrepreneurship (Thorpe, 1997). This methodology aims to

orderly process and connect together as much of the existing literature on

internationalisation of SMEs as possible by using systematic structuring to

review existing literature.

Some of the earliest internationalisation concepts go as far as the 1970s,

however, academic research focusing on the internationalisation of SMEs has

only began developing in the early 1990s (Olejnik and Swoboda, 2012). Hence,

this research looks at publications from the last 25 years, setting the time scope

between 1992 and 2017.

Using the methodology of previous systematic assessments of research

as guidelines, particularly from the field of management (Bostjan, 2006;

Caputo, 2013; Mysen, 2013), an inclusion and exclusion criteria was set to

select keywords, databases and to define the specific area of research. The

literature assessment examined peer-reviewed articles from a range of

17
publications, many a times going beyond established international business

and management journals to incorporate specific journals that are relevant to

this area of research; e.g. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal (looks at aspects

of risk‐seeking behaviour in young ventures that catapult early

internationalisation) and International Marketing Review.

Additionally, to ensure the selection process for the literature search was

rigorously systematic and comprehensive, introductory articles, books, book

chapters, book reviews, editor notes, review articles and conference papers

were omitted, which according to Jones (2011) are significantly less validated

sources of knowledge.

To begin, articles were searched using the “ProQuest” Database via the

UCL library database with the following set criteria:

1) Only English language peer-reviewed journal articles.

2) Substantive relevance of the research papers was ensured by requiring

all the selected journal articles to include of one or more of these key words

in their title and abstract; “early internationalisation” OR “SME

internationalisation”, “stage theory”, “international new venture” OR “INV”

(Oviatt and McDougal,1994), “born global”, “international young venture”.

Several additional searches with alternative key words (e.g. “organisational

resource”, “international entrepreneurship”) were performed to broaden the

scope of the review and include a larger number of journal articles.

3) Articles published between 1992 and 2017, inclusively.

In addition, when reviewing the results of the journal article

search, using Short’s (2010) methodology of consulting to other reference

sections within the publications to identify other relevant papers, was

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 utilised to expand the database7. This procedure led to 19 articles being

added to the research database.

4. RESULTS

The initial search using the aforementioned criteria generated in 807

articles in search result. Table 2 explains the staged research protocol that was

undertaken for the selection of articles. These protocols are in line with similar

procedures in previous studies (e.g. Eberlin and Tatum, 2005; Mysen, 2013).

In the first step, a list of pertinent articles was selected and preliminary reading

of the titles was conducted. Following which, numerous articles that were not

relevant to the broader theme of the research were removed from the database

for exclusion in the next steps, which resulted in 114 papers being kept.

Table 1. Search protocol and results8

Step Description Total articles

0 Articles from ProQuest – search result 807
1 Articles with relevant titles 114
2 Articles whose abstract was relevant 67
3 Articles whose text was pertinent and of high academic merit 36

In the second step, articles selected from Step 1 were further analysed

to ensure substantive content and context of their abstracts matched with the

core theme of this research. By adopting the same level of rigour used in the

first step, several of the articles were discharged. As a result, 77 papers were

7 “Data” for this study are the articles reviewed (Braun and Clarke, 2006), that gives the base to
conduct qualitative research using the principles of thematic coding to derive key themes from the
data.
8 Source: Author’s own dataset

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selected to be comprehensively read. The drop in the numbers is inline with

what is observed in other systematic literature reviews (e.g. Caputo, 2013;

Abatecola, 2013).

In the context of this review, the drop can be attributed to the lack of

pertinence to the theme of the research. Several articles whose abstracts were

analysed, explored export dynamics, trade and international companies, but

didn’t focus on internationalisation of SMEs or its processes. Others articles

paid greater attention to MNEs and the challenges they have, such as issues

pertaining to optimum incentivisation, company and managerial culture, and

other international issues, but issues concerning internationalisation and its

processes were not given much attention. Additionally, during the selection of

journals articles from the results at each stage, based upon their level of

contribution to SME internationalisation literature, preference was given to

more recent journal articles that explored “newer” models of internationalisation

over of traditional models.

In the third step, all the articles left from step 2 were read thoroughly

from the start to the end. During this process, several articles were found to be

of questionable academic standards. In order to prevent the use of potentially

flawed findings from these articles of low academic standard, they were

removed from further analysis, which was in line with similar practices observed

in other systematic literature reviews (e.g. Brooks, 2011). Following this test of

pertinence and quality, 31 articles were barred from further analysis, while the

remaining 36 papers were qualitatively analysed (Pittaway, 2007; Barclay,

2011).

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 Using Microsoft Excel, a data set was created to compile qualitative

information on the remaining journal articles. While analysing each paper,

overarching themes were identified and coded. Several articles appeared to

have reoccurring themes, hence articles were permitted to be included in more

than one thematic area, in-line with practices from other systematic literature

reviews (Tranfield, 2003; Thorpe, 2005). Next, using pivot tables in excel,

thematic areas were clustered in larger sub-themes for ease of analysis.

4.1 Organisation of Results

Themes are central to the discussion of an author’s viewpoint in an

article. Hence, the themes we identified as part of our analysis are

representative of the core concepts, arguments and ideas of the paper (Ryan

and Bernard, 2003). This forms the premise of an article’s central research

question, concepts and constructs, which are to be further explored and

understood (Thorpe, 2005). The primary and secondary themes for the

research are derived through an inductive method of building an overview of

what the article’s focus is, theoretical framework and what the models and

hypotheses are, instead of a content-analytical method that usually

decontextualizes information. The names of the themes have been selected

from the literature in review, however at times they have been used

retrospectively

The central themes that emerge from the systematic review of SME

internationalisation literature are show using a thematic map created using

MindNode9 (see Fig. 1). The four main braches illustrated in the map (Figure.

1) represent the four major thematic areas that have been inferred from the

9
MindNode is a web-based mind mapping application.

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 systematic review. In addition, sub-themes that emerged can also be seen. A

list of the academics linked with each thematic area is in Appendix A.

Figure 3. Map of thematic areas in the SME Internationalisation literature

reviewed 1992 - 201710

Table 2 gives a distribution between conceptual and empirical articles, by journal that

were added to the research database. Of the 67 total articles, 23 are conceptual and

44 are empirical; 11 in management journals, 25 in international business journals, 3

were published in entrepreneurship journals and 12 in marketing journals.

10
Source: Author’s own illustration using data from Appendix A.

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 Table 2. Articles By Journal11
Conceptual Empirical
Journal Total
articles articles

Management journals
Academy of Management Journal 0 2 2
Contemporary Management Research 0 2 2
European Management Journal 0 3 3
Irish Journal of Management 1 0 1
Journal for East European Management
0 1 1
Studies
Journal of Management and Governance 1 2 3
Management International Review 2 2 4
International Business journals
Multinational Business Review 0 1 1
Entrepreneurial Business and Economics
0 2 1
Review
European Business Review 0 2 2
Family Business Review 1 1 2
International business review 0 3 3
Journal of Asia Business Studies 0 1 1
Journal of Business Venturing 0 1 1
Journal of International Business Studies 6 2 8
Journal of Small Business and Enterprise
1 3 1
Development
Journal of World Business 2 2 4
Small Business Economics 0 1 1
The Journal of Applied Business and
0 1 1
Economics
Entrepreneurship journals
Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 1 0 1
Journal of International Entrepreneurship 1 6 7
Marketing journals
Advances in International Marketing 1 1 1
European Journal of Marketing 3 1 3
International Marketing Review 1 3 4
Journal of Global Marketing 1 0 1
Journal of International Marketing 1 3 4
Total 23 44 67

11
Source: Author’s own table using data from the systematic review.

23
5. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

5.1 Venture Types

One of the most prominent themes of research that comes from the

systematic literature analysis is the research on Venture types. It is centred

around the types of organisational structures, forms and their antecedents. A

large proportion of literature focuses on how a type of a firm affects its

internationalisation competence, while comparing with other types of ventures.

As seen in the table below, we find that XX articles focus on this thematic area

(XX%) and these relate to EIGHT different themes.

A large number of journal articles dating from the earlier years of our

research’s defined time parameter seek to understand the differences between

domestic and foreign new ventures through conceptual and empirical

investigation (Oviatt and McDougall, 1995, 1997). While a considerable number

explored the new forms of small ventures that exhibit global ambitions from the

start (Rennie, 1993).

The concept of international new venture (INV) is a reoccurring theme,

that is first introduced in Jolly, Alahuhta, Jeannet (1992) empirical investigation,

where they look at how four ‘distruptive’ high-tech start-ups are reshaping the

preconceived notion that to have a global strategy means having a global

presence. Many subsequent papers on INV from our data build on Jolly,

Alahuhta, Jeannet’s (1992) research. Oviatt and McDougall (1994) further

develop INV structures, by theorizing the four types of INVs; multinational

trader, import/export venture, geographically centred venture, and global

venture. Crick (2000) supports this classification and adds that INV are

international in nature from inception and their inherent characteristic enables

24
 fast growth, but equally requires managers and entrepreneurs with international

experience.

Equally dominant theme in venture type research within SME

internationalisation literature is the study of born global firms12 (ADD THE %

OF ARTICLES THAT HIGHLIGHT BORN GLOBAL). As explored by Madsen

and Servais (1997), amongst others (Knight and Cavugil, 1996;

Harveston,Kedia and Davis, 2000; Moen and Servai, 2002), born global (BG)

refers to ventures that are formed with a global vision and ambition and

therefore internationalize very early, often rapidly (Aspelund, Madsen and

Moen, 2007). In Rennie’s (1993) research, BG are the centre of his research,

where he sees them as firms with strong networks and international resource

access, with an ability to internationally compete, despite lack of tangible

resources and operational international experience. Aspelund and Moen (2005)

elude to BGs as a distinct type of firm, different from early and late

internationals, alongside born regionals firms (Sui, Baum and Yu, 2012; Lopez

and Fan, 2009). Li and Qian (2012) note the important difference between the

INVs and BG, suggesting that the former’s key focus is the speed of

internationalisation and timing of foreign market entry, while the latter is found

with the intention of rapid internationalisation from the start.

Amongst the literature on venture types, which dominantly consists of

research on INVs and BGs, another type of venture was identified by

Dimitratos’s (2003), known as micro-multinational enterprises (MMNEs). Such

12
It shall be noted that in venture type research, when expressing abstracts thoughts on early
internationalising firms, many a times multiple terms have been used, at times BG and INV
have been used interchangeably and inconsistently in some journal articles.

25
firms are not characterized by their internationalisation speed, but rather by

their entry mode strategies, such as international joint ventures (Copeland,

2006).

Another theme that comes up when analysing the literature on venture

types, is the focus on the comparison between the various types of ventures.

For example, Cesinger, Fink and Kraus (2012) in their study look at

international and domestic new ventures and find that a firm is less likely to

internationalise, if their business has a more tangible offering, e.g. service

versus goods). However, these styles of studies are rare, and often literature

focuses more on comparing international venture types (Kim, 2013).

5.2 Networks

The second thematic area that is induced from the systematic review of

literature is networks (n=8 papers; 12%). The main emphasis of this theme is

on network processes, social capital and relationships.

Emergence of literature in regards to networks and social capital began

to emerge around the mid-1990s, when researchers like Coviello and Munro

(1995, 1997), started to build on Johanson and Mattsson’s (1988) Network-

based Internationalization Approach; and explored networks and social capital

and their influence on internationalisation by mapping network patterns. They

proposed that SME’s network ties were a reflection of the international market

entry modes used by those firms and how smaller firms worked with larger ones

to create new opportunities.

26
 An interesting area of research within the study of networks that has

developed in the last decade explored co-opetition13 between SMEs and MNEs.

Vapola (2008) theorising from the findings of his case study on 14 software

start-ups proposes that globally oriented start-up firms were partnering with

multinational corporations (MNC) with the hope of benefitting from direct

financial returns and indirectly by gaining access to the MNC’s network,

reputation and market reach. These findings mirror Sampson (2007) and

Lunnan and Haugland’s (2007) work, who suggested that co-opetition is

beneficial for both groups, as internationalising of SME can gain a faster path

to commercialise technology internationally in a cost-efficient and timely

fashion.

On the other hand, in several of the papers, it was noted that not all

network relationships are beneficial and many lead to short term impulsive

alliances, which can potentially lead to fragile foundations for future growth

(Gillian and Weerawardena, 2006; Arenius, 2008). This ironically supports the

argument in several studies eluding to the partnerships born out of weak

network ties, which reinforce the process of knowledge acquisition and

opportunity exploitation in an internationalising SME (Dana, 2001; Presutti,

2007). This phenomenon was further explained by Oviatt and McDougall’s

(2005) research in this area, which highlighted the importance of information

that comes from weak ties in the network. They hypothesised that weak ties

readily restrict redundant information. Chandra’s (2009) supported this through

13Several papers in internationalisation literature explore the nature of co-opetition. Yet, there isn't a
broad consensus on it's definition (Bengtsson and Kock, 2014). Bengtsson and Kock (2000) view it
more simplistically concept where two direct competitors have a co-operative relationship. More
recently, it has been interpreted as an elaborate network of value creation that brings together many
customers, suppliers and competitors (Wilhelm and Kohlbacher, 2011).

27
her empirical investigations, suggesting that weak ties are more likely to

connect a SME to diverse information sources, which can result in further

identification of opportunities abroad without deliberately looking.

Zhou’s (2007) conceptual paper explores the two types of international

networks; commercial alliances and social networks. He notes that social

network in a broader sense are explained as the relationship with the various

stakeholders such as investors, suppliers, policy makers, institutions and

competitors, while. Adding to this point, Gaur and Kumar (2009) talk about

changing dynamics amongst the stakeholders as firms internationalise (e.g.

previously competing domestic firm can become a partner in a foreign context).

Coviello’s (2006) multi-site case research on the network dynamics of

INVs emphasised the influence of a social network on a firm’s ability to

internationalise successfully. He added that the advantages to be gained from

a strong social network were heavily reliant on the entrepreneur/manager’s

networking abilities. The views were supported by Zhou (2007), who further

extended the importance of social networks and the advantages they brought

in an unfamiliar foreign environment, by easing access to information and

knowledge channels. The importance of information and knowledge is eluded

to in Zahra’s (2005) empirical investigation, who suggests that an organisation’s

learnings in the early stages of internationalisation are heavily reliant on an

efficient flow of external information.

Dimitratos (2012) supported this perspective, proposing that networks

are the prime method of knowledge acquisition for SMEs in the context of

internationalisation. SMEs can overcome the disadvantage of “foreignness”

with the use of knowledge and opportunities that a strong network provide

28
(Zhou, Wu and Luo, 2007), which to a certain degree dictates the level of

international success an SME can have (Carson (1997).

5.4 Organisational Factors

In an interesting thematic area of research that emerges in parallel to

literature focusing on networks is that of organisational issues such as

performance, capacity and orientation in the context of SME internationalisation

(n=34 papers; 10.5%).

The exploration of this thematic area was done by looking at literature

from our database that focused on performance antecedents, which in SME

internationalisation are product differentiation, size of the firm, foreign

experience are (Bloodgood, 1996), technological capacity (Zahra, 1997),

entrepreneurial orientation (Jantunen, 2005), governmental support along with

manager/entrepreneurs’s technical knowledge and opportunity seeking

behaviour (Preece, 1999; Kocak and Abimbola, 2009).

In exploring the unique approaches SMEs take to internationalise,

Freeman and Cavusgil (2007) looked into the different types of organisational

orientations and classified them into four broad categories: opportunist,

experimentalist, strategist, responder. The orientations came as a result of the

empirical investigation they conducted, where they observed the decision

strategies of SMEs that internationalised quickly, concluding that successful

SMEs have singular location focus. Knight (2000), in his finding placed an equal

importance on organisational orientations and entrepreneurial orientation.

However, he added that for internationalising SME’s responding to

developments in technology in a globalised world, it would come down to the

firm’s entrepreneurial orientation. This view was supported by Ripolles (2007),

29
who suggested that SMEs with higher entrepreneurial orientation were bound

to have a higher number of foreign operations and in turn, higher international

sales. Looking at the other side of the equation, Sapienza (2005) notes that

entrepreneurial orientation was affected by a firm’s learning efforts in the

domestic markets; higher entrepreneurial orientation will lead a firm to

internationalise early.

Performance outcomes, which build on previous studies on performance

antecedents appear to be a reoccurring theme in many of the papers in our

analysis. Literature on performance outcomes tends to look into issues such

as, how learning and internationalisation orientation is affected by firm

performance. Wennberg and Holmquist’s (2008) in his research measured a

number of intangibles such as aspiration levels at high-growth SME through a

series of systematic interviews and concluded that when aspiration levels

exceed the current performance of a firm, the firm is driven to seek

internationalisation opportunities, or internationalise at a faster pace.

Within this thematic area, we noticed a number of articles being revisited

by their authors with a change in findings. One such example is Zahra’s (1997)

study, which proposed that the size of a firm doesn’t have an effect on the

intensity of internationalisation, but age does. In her later studies, she went on

to question the impact of both of the aforementioned factors, along with the role

historic performance (Zahra, 2003). In her later work, she postulated that

intangibles such as social networks and reputation are far more influential than

the size of the firm, age or performance. Interestingly, these conclusions are in

stark contrast to findings from Preece’s (1999) paper, who suggested that the

effects of network affected are over emphasised in literature and argued that

30
they do not have a have a significant impact on intensity of internationalisation,

as compared to internal organisational factors.

5.5 Knowledge and Learning

Another important theme that emerged in the broader context of

internationalisation was literature concerning the knowledge and learning

capacity of internationalising firms. The importance of organisational learning

comes to the forefront of internationalisation literature when understanding

SMEs’ post-entry behaviours, particularly in regard to the speed of international

expansion after entry into the foreign market (Huang, Hsieh and Ming, 2013).

Saarenketo and Kuivalainen (2012) postulate that knowledge is one of

the most important factors behind SMEs’ internationalization behavior and is

key to their internationalization strategy.

Experiential knowledge and objective knowledge form the basis of a

firm’s existing knowledge base (Smith et al., 2005). Experiential knowledge.

Huber (1991) puts experiential knowledge as one of the most important forms

of knowledge in an organisation, that encompasses knowledge of a target

country’s specific market conditions, its regulatory framework, norms and

values and potential customer base. How a firm engages with these factors will

be determined by their existing experiential knowledge. On the other hand,

objective knowledge is gained through more convention means such

conducting market research.

Schwens and Kabst (2009) explored the effects of experiential learning

on SMEs in a domestic context and its influence on the decision to

internationalise. They theorised that higher experiential learning in the domestic

market would result in SMEs not internationalising early. This finding somewhat

31
contrasts with Burpitt and Rondinelli’s (1998) findings, which suggested that

domestic learning prompted early internationalisation. This disparity might be

explained by Kocak and Abimbola (2009), who suggested that the focus of the

learning orientation is the underlying factor, i.e. experiential learning in itself

might not prompt SMEs to internationalise, but when combined with other

elements that affect internationalisation decisions, such as previous

experiences of founders/managers or market conditions, the results might be

different. However, the knowledge and experience do not need to be native to

a firm. Hiring experienced managers is one way of bringing external knowledge

into a firm.

In Gabrielsson’s (2008) study of internationalising SMEs in Scandinavia

and Southern Europe, he concluded that hiring a manager, specifically from the

country the SME wants to enter, not only adds knowledge and experience to

an internationalising firm, but also forces the firm to commit to the new market

and signals long term commitment – leading to increased trust by customers in

the short to medium term. These suggestions are mimicked in Loane’s (2007)

observations from interviews of SMEs, where she concluded that local hires,

especially of experienced managers bring greater knowledge and learning from

that markets. In addition, these managers assist in building connections to the

international business networks, which increases the speed at which an

internationalising SME can expand. These views are echoed in Casillas’s

(2009) study, where he postulated that the lack of international operating

experience and market knowledge in a SME would lead to a slow

internationalisation process.

32
 Within the theme of knowledge and learnings, the experience of

founders/ managers and its influence was widely mentioned and explored in

several of the research papers analysed. Founders/ managers with prior

international experience are predisposed to pursuing early internationalisation

opportunities, (Reuber and Fischer, 1997; Sapienza, 2006). This hypothesis is

based among findings that experienced founders/ managers have a greater

opportunity awareness and have better assessment capabilities compared to

those without experience (Weerawardena, 2007; Casillas, 2009; Johanson and

Vahlne, 2009). In addition, congenital knowledge14 creates higher absorptive

capacity for operations abroad (Oviatt and McDougall, 2005). Weerawardena

(2007) and Casillas (2009) add to this argument by postulating that congenital

knowledge creates a perception of lower internationalisation costs.

Zahra (2005) in her empirical study focused on the cognitive aspect of

knowledge creation, looking at how entrepreneurs learn to recognise

international opportunities and exploit them. In addition to this, prior knowledge,

according to Tolstoy (2009) is a prerequisite for knowledge creation in the

context of an internationalising SME, which leads the search for new

knowledge, along with action build a firm’s knowledge capital (Casillas, 2009).

Furthering this point, McDougall-Covin (2009) in his research talks about

the role of internal knowledge, that can come from sources like a firm’s venture

capitalist, who bring with them experience and reputation, which “can open

doors” far beyond stand along monetary investment. This argument can be

further supported by Filatotchev’s (2009) study which looked at China, and

14
Congenital knowledge in this case refers to past international experience of founders bring from previous
international experiences, e.g. can be from living abroad or worked in an international context).

33
noted the value returning Chinese entrepreneurs brought, in terms of

knowledge and learnings that supported internationalisation orientation and

performance.

Vicarious learning, or learning by observation has been noted to have a

key role in SMEs internationalisation decisions from the conceptual and

empirical literature that has been reviewed for this paper. We noted that few

studies explicitly use “vicarious” as a term (e.g. Fernhaber et al., 2009), yet

several articles elude to the importance of learning by observation as a tool that

effects the decisions to internationalise, either through replication models or

through “cooperative knowledge exchange” (Fernhaber and Li, 2010). A key

form of vicarious learning has been identified as learning from network partners.

Casillas (2009) noted that network partners pave the path for earlier

internationalisation of SMEs. Oviatt and McDougall (2005) further hypothesised

that a crucial source of vicarious information usually comes from weak ties,

adding that such connections readily restrict redundant information. This theory

is supported in one of Chandra’s (2009) empirical investigations, who argued

that weak ties are more likely to connect a SME to diverse information sources,

which can result in further identification of opportunities abroad without

deliberately looking.

In addition, vicarious learning can also come from firms that are not

network partners (Fernhaber et al.,2007). In Schwens and Kabst’s (2009)

survey of 269 SMEs, they precisely asked about imitation and concluded that

SMEs do indeed consciously replicate structures, best practices, and

penetration strategies of other successfully internationalised SMEs. This

argument is further supported by Aldrich's (1999) study that concluded that

34
imitation is a popular learning approach, especially amongst emerging market

SMEs.

5.6 Environmental Factors

Environmental factors play a significant role in regards to the speed and

intensity of internationalisation and how these factors are affected by industry

structures and maturity (Callaway, 2004; Andersson, 2002). This is also noted

by Fernhaber (2008), who also pointed to the importance locals influence,

suggesting that the clustering of the different industries has a significant effect

on the international scope and intensity of a new venture.

Researchers such as Knight and Cavusgil (1996) and Madsen and

Servais (1997) eluded to environmental developments, such as rapid changes

in technology, trade agreements removing business barriers and unifying

international cultural trends which are some of the factors paving the way for

more widespread internationalisation than was possible before. More recent

empirical explorations on SME internationalisation activity and processes seem

to be concluding with contradicting results to Johanson and Vahlne’s (1977)

original Uppsala model. To that extend, Johanson and Vahlne’s (2009) honest

review of their original work concurs to the fact that the context of

internationalisation has shifted greatly since they first conceptualised their

theory and this more recent exploration focuses on SMEs learning processes

which drive fast internationalisation post-entry. This theme is evident across the

literature from the last two decades, which tends to centre around the “intensity”

of internationalisation, reflected by a focus on the speed, breadth, and depth of

internationalisation. This section of the literature review also further explores

the dynamic between foreign and domestic internationalisation activities, while

35
 looking at the modes of entry that SMEs take during the internationalisation

process and how timing of first international entry has an influence on an SME’s

internationalisation learning process.

From our review, we can see that several papers published in the last

decade mention the micro and macro level challenges for internationalising

SMEs. Some micro level challenges include human resources and firm capacity

barriers (Cahen et al., 2016), technological capacity, organisational productivity

and effectiveness (Wei, Zheng, Liu, and Lu, 2014); foreign market orientation

and knowledge and experience limitations (Wood et al., 2015). Likewise, some

of the macro level challenges are noted to be entry barriers to industries and

lack of institutional support, which can partly be the reason to institutional

constraints (Wei et al., 2014; Makhmadshoev, Ibeh, and Crone, 2015); local

regulation, economic condition and lack of information on foreign markets

(Cardoza et al., 2015).

In an environmental context, perception and management of risk,

knowledge intensity15 of a firm, are amongst some of the factors that play an

important role in influencing the pace of internationalisations (Kuivalainen,

Saarenketo and Puumalainen, 2012; Acedo and Jones, 2007; Zhou, Wu, Luo,

2007; Bell, 1995; Martinez, 2006; Gillian and Liesch, 2007; McNaughton, 2001).

15
Knowledge intensity refers the level to which a firm depends on the knowledge inherent in its activities and
outputs as a source of competitive advantage (Autio, 2000).

36
6 CONCLUSIONS

This dissertation was carried out in order to critically evaluate the

literature focusing on the antecedents, processes and post market entry

dynamics for internationalising SMEs. A comprehensive and evaluative

literature review extensively explored the various traditional and contemporary

theories and models that are used as in existing research on SME

internationalisations. Our systematic review of literature is not definitive and

wasn’t intended to be. Rather, the aim was to gather, inventory, analyse,

summarise and interpret research on SME internationalisation between 1992-

2017. Under the detailed analysis of the 35 final journal articles in our database,

we carried out an inductive thematic analysis and found some major themes in

the SME internationalisation research.

By examining the literature in the light of the induced thematic areas, and their

sub-domains, an attempt was made to highlight key areas of development,

while looking for areas of concern and inconsistencies in theoretical approach,

use of terminology, and empirical findings.

37
Through the methodology presented, which has been developed from the

existing best practices of similar systematic reviews in managements studies

and by introducing inclusion and exclusion criteria, along with a search protocol,

the selection criteria was kept rigorous. We hope that our modification makes a

meaningful contribution by enabling an accessible and replicable methodology

for other researchers to use. The inductive and interpretive style of thematic

analysis is borrowed from other fields of research, and was used as an

alternative to a deductive pre-determined framework.

WHAT YOU FOUND IN 4 SENTENCES

In awareness of the fact, that the results of this review will be reflective of the

literature that was selected and analysed. Hence, our search parameter was

widened to encompass a broader range of themes that at times deviated from

the core focus area of the dissertation. Yet, in doing so, papers that include

concepts, arguments, ideas and theories from beyond the realm of

management studies were included. This is reflected in Table. X which

illustrates this diversity. However, in reflection the article selection and thematic

coding could have been done with an extra set of outside researchers, to be

discussed individually. While conducting our article coding procedure, keeping

it consistent with McDougall and Oviatt’s (2000) methodology, we used it as

precedence to places articles in to more than one thematic area, and therefore

we advise caution in counts and analysis of literature, as this can be potentially

misleading.

38
 In conclusion, this detailed systematic review of literature pertaining to SME

internationalisation offering an thorough exploration of the SME

internationalisation literature landscape and with a methodology that has the

potential to be replicated, improved and applied in other domains of research.

In conclusion, write what impact internationalisation has on SMES not your

methodology!!!! This dissertation serves as a preliminary step for further

exploration and classification of SME internationalisation domain for future

further research.

• Building a relationship is a time consuming, costly and

risky process • Founders of INVs are individuals who see opportunities from

establishing ventures that operate across national borders because of the

competencies (networks. knowledge, and background) they have developed

earlier and are unique to them. • The relatively rapid and disperse involvement

in foreign markets by entrepreneurial hi-tech firms can be linked to opportunities

and constraints emerging from a network of relationships (both formal and

informal).

Characteristics of successful global start-ups are: • A global vision exists from

inception • managers are internationally experienced • global entrepreneurs have
strong international business networks • pre-emptive technology or marketing is
exploited • Unique intangible assets are present • product or service extensions are
closely linked • the organization is closely coordinated worldwide

39
40
7 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

41
Thematic Area Authors Year Article Title

Internationalisation The internationalization of small high technology

Jones, Marian V. 1999
Process firms

Zahra, Shaker A; International expansion by new venture firms:

Ireland, R Duane; Hitt, 2000 International diversity, mode of market entry,
Michael A technological learning, and performance
Stray, Stepahnie; The internationalisation process of small,
Bridgewater, Susan; 2001 technology-based firms: market selection, mode
Murray, Gordon. choice and degree
Internationalization of High-Technology Firms
Dowling, Michael. 2001
Cases from Biotechnology and Multimedia
A comparative investigation into the
Spence, Martine;
2006 internationalisation of Canadian and UK hightech
Crick, Dave
SMEs
The Internationalisation of Indigenous Irish
Garvey, Deirdre;
2006 Software Technology Companies: An Exploratory
Brennan, Louis.
Study
Ruzzier, Mitja; Hisrich,
SME internationalization research: past, present,
Robert D; Antoncic, 2006
and future
Bostjan.
Mathews, John A; The international entrepreneurial dynamics of
2007
Zander, Ivo accelerated internationalisation
Zucchella, Antonella;
The drivers of the early internationalization of
Palamara, G; 2007
the firm
Denicolai, S.
Examining the role of international
O'Cass, Aron;
2009 entrepreneurship, innovation and international
Weerawardena, Jay. .
market performance in SME internationalisation
Internationalisation of technology-oriented firms
Fryges, Helmut. 2009
in Germany and the UK
The internationalization process of Brazilian
Dib, Luis Antonio; Da
software firms and the born global phenomenon:
Rocha, Angela; Da 2010
Examining firm, network, and entrepreneur
Silva, Jorge Ferreira
variables
March Chordà, Isidre; Internationalization of
María Yagüe Perales, 2010 the Innovation in Spain and Model to Measure
Rosa. the Export Intensity in High-tech Activities
Kuivalainen, Olli; Start-up patterns of internationalization: A
Saarenketo, Sami; 2012 framework and its application in the context of
Puumalainen, Kaisu knowledge-intensive SMEs

42
 Onetti, Alberto;
Zucchella, Antonella; Internationalization, innovation and
Jones, Marian V; 2012 entrepreneurship: business models for new
Mcdougall-covin, technology-based firms
Patricia P
The accelerated internationalization of born
Huang, Hsiu Ying;
2013 global firms: a knowledge transformation
Hsieh, Ming Huei
process view
SME internationalisation: offshoring,
Canham, Stephen;
2013 "backshoring", or staying at home in New
Hamilton, Robert T.
Zealand
The Impact of the Institutional Environment on
Dickson, Pat H;
SME Internationalization: An Assessment of the
Weaver, K Mark; 2013
Environmental Assumptions of Emerging
Vozikis, George S.
Integrated Models of Internationalization
Crick, Dave; Crick, The internationalization strategies of rapidly
2014
James internationalizing high-tech UK SMEs
Rapid Internationalization of SM Es: Evidence
Cancino, Christian A. 2014
from Born Global Firms in Chile
Hewerdine, Lisa Jane;
Rumyantseva, Maria; 2014 Resource scavenging
Welch, Catherine
Burca-Voicu, Monica Sme's Internationalization - Drivers And
Ioana; Maniu, Mircea 2014 Barriers: The Case Of The Romanian
Teodor Economy
Kazlauskaite, Ruta;
The Resource-based View and SME
Autio, Erkko; Gelbuda,
2015 Internationalisation: An Emerging Economy
Modestas; Sarapovas,
Perspective
Tadas
Cannone, Giusy; Internationalization flows of high-tech start-ups:
2015
Ughetto, Elisa. a gravity model
García-cabrera,
Opportunity motivation and SME
Antonia Mercedes;
internationalisation in emerging countries:
García-soto, María 2016
Evidence from entrepreneurs' perception of
Gracia; Durán-herrera,
institutions
Juan José.
Hilmersson, Mikael; Speed of SME Internationalization and
2016
Johanson, Martin Performance
Coviello, Nicole E; Growing the entrepreneurial firm: Networking
Networks 1995
Munro, Hugh J. for international market development
Internationalization and the performance of
Zhou, Lianxi; Wu, Wei-
2007 born-global SMEs: the mediating role of social
ping; Luo, Xueming.
networks
The internationalisation of 'high performing' UK
Crick, Dave; Spence,
2005 high-tech SMEs: a study of planned and
Martine
unplanned strategies
KNOWLEDGE-BASED NETWORK LINKS: A
Peljhan, Darja; Sevic,
MUST
Zeljko; Tekavcic, 2014
FOR RAPID INTERNATIONALISATION OF A
Metka.
"BORN GLOBAL" COMPANY
Networking capability and international
Gillian Sullivan Mort, 2006 entrepreneurship: How networks function in
Jay Weerawardena Australian born global firms

43
 The Influence of networking on the
Yee Kwan Tang 2011 internationalization of SMEs: Evidence from
internationalized Chinese firms
Viveca Sasi, Pia International new ventures and social networks:
2008
Arenius Advantage or liability?
Andreea N. Kiss,Wade Country institutional context, social networks, and
2008
Danis new venture internationalization speed
Bloodgood, James M;
Organizational The internationalization of new high-potential
Sapienza, Harry J; 1996
Issues U.S. ventures: Antecedents and outcomes
Almeida, James G.
McDougall, Patricia
New venture internationalization, strategic
Phillips; Oviatt, 1996
change, and performance: A follow-up study
Benjamin M.
The influence of the management team's
Reuber, A Rebecca;
1997 international experience on the
Fischer, Eileen.
internationalization behaviors of SMEs
Harveston, Paula D;
Internationalization of born global and gradual
Kedia, Ben L; Davis, 2000
globalizing firms: The impact of the manager
Peter S.
Burgel, Oliver; Murray, The international market entry choices of startup
2000
Gordon C companies in high-technology industries
Entrepreneurship and marketing strategy: The
Knight, Gary. 2000
SME under globalization
Born Global or Gradual Global? Examining the
Moen, Øystein;
2002 Export Behavior of Small and Medium-Sized
Servais, Per.
Enterprises
Bell, Jim; McNaughton,
Towards an Integrative Model of Small Firm
Rod; Young, Stephen; 2003
Internationalisation
Crick, Dave
Smith, Ken G; Collins, Existing knowledge, knowledge creation
Christopher J; Clark, 2005 capability, and the rate of new product
Kevin D. introduction in high-technology firms
Internationalization Strategy of Small and
Fernández, Zulima;
2005 Medium-Sized Family Businesses: Some
Nieto, María J.
Influential Factors
Aspelund, Arild; Moen, Small International Firms: Typology,
2005
Øystein Performance and Implications
Lu, Jane W; Beamish, SME internationalization and performance:
2006
Paul W. Growth vs. profitability
Aspelund, Arild; A review of the foundation, international
Madsen, Tage Koed; 2007 marketing strategies, and performance of
Moen, Øystein. international new ventures
Speed of internationalization and
Acedo, Francisco J; entrepreneurial cognition: Insights and a
2007
Jones, Marian V. comparison between international new ventures,
exporters and domestic firms
Kuivalainen, Olli; Firms' degree of born-globalness, international
Sundqvist, Sanna; 2007 entrepreneurial orientation and export
Servais, performance
Internationalization of Small and Medium-sized
Wright, Mike;
Enterprises (SMEs) and International
Westhead, Paul; 2007
Entrepreneurship: A Critique and Policy
Ucbasaran, Deniz
Implications

44
 Kuivalainen, Olli; Organisational capabilities and
Puumalainen, Kaisu; internationalisation of the small and mediumsized
2010
Sintonen, Sanna; information and communications
Kyläheiko, Kalevi technology firms
Li, Lee; Qian,
Early internationalization and performance of
Gongming; Qian, 2012
small high-tech "born-globals"
Zhengming
Measuring the Performance of Born-Global Firms
Trudgen, Ryan; Throughout Their Development Process: The
2014
Freeman, Susa Roles of Initial Market Selection and
Internationalisation Speed
The phenomenon of early internationalizing
Rialp, Alex; Rialp,
Venture Type 2005 firms: what do we know after a decade (1993-
Josep; Knight, Gary A
2003) of scientific inquiry?
Knight, Gary A; The born global firm: A challenge to traditional
1996
Cavusgil, S Tamer. internationalization theory
Rialp, Alex; Rialp,
The Born-Global Phenomenon: A Comparative
Josep; Urbano, David; 2005
Case Study Research
Vaillant, Yancy.
The network dynamics of international new
Coviello, Nicole E 2006
ventures
Fan, Terence; Phan, International new ventures: revisiting the
2007
Phillip influences behind the 'born-global' firm
Weerawardena, Jay;
Conceptualizing accelerated internationalization
Gillian Sullivan Mort;
2007 in the born global firm: A dynamic capabilities
Liesch, Peter W;
perspective
Knight, Gary.
Gabrielsson, Mika;
Kirpalani, V.H.M.; Born globals: propositions to help advance the
2008
Dimitratos, P; Solberg, theory
C A; Zucchella, A.
Fernhaber, Stephanie International entrepreneurship and geographic
A; Gilbert, Brett Anitra; 2008 location: an empirical examination of new
McDougall, Patricia P venture internationalization
The internationalisation of born global and
Crick, Dave. 2009
international new venture SMEs
Piva, Evila; Rossi- Family firms and internationalization: An
lamastra, Cristina; De 2013 exploratory study on high-tech entrepreneurial
Massis, Alfredo ventures
Schueffel, Patrick;
Baldegger, Rico; 2014 Behavioral patterns in born-again global firms
Amann, Wolfgang
The born global firm: An entrepreneurial and
Cavusgil, S Tamer;
2015 capabilities perspective on early and rapid
Knight, Gary.
internationalization
Taylor, Murray; Jack, Born Global Firm Internationalisation: The
2016
Robert Influence of Industry Factors
Vissak, Tiia; Zhang, A born global's radical, gradual and nonlinear
2016
Xiaotian internationalization: A case from Belarus

45
46