Constraints, internationalization and growth: A cross-country analysis of European SMEs

Jolanda Hessels and Simon Parker ()

Journal of World Business, 2013, vol. 48, issue 1, 137-148

Abstract: Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are known to face barriers which limit their ability to grow. We build on resource dependency theory and the resource-based view to investigate how SMEs are able to achieve venture growth in the face of these constraints by adopting internationalization and inter-firm collaboration strategies. Based on a large sample of European SMEs, our research demonstrates the importance of distinguishing between specific dimensions of internationalization and inter-firm collaborations, in particular between exporting and importing, and between formal and informal collaborations – as well as context-specificity of these strategies with respect to the types of constraints SMEs face.

Keywords: SMEs; Internationalization; Inter-firm collaboration; Constraints; Europe (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (52)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:worbus:v:48:y:2013:i:1:p:137-148

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DOI: 10.1016/j.jwb.2012.06.014

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