International Performance of SMEs’ International Strategic Groups

Ângelo Miguel R. Cabral, Fernando Manuel P. O. Carvalho and José António Vasconcelos Ferreira
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Ângelo Miguel R. Cabral: CeBER, Faculty of Economics, University of Coimbra, 3004-512 Coimbra, Portugal
Fernando Manuel P. O. Carvalho: CeBER, Faculty of Economics, University of Coimbra, 3004-512 Coimbra, Portugal
José António Vasconcelos Ferreira: Department of Economics, Management, Industrial Engineering and Tourism, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal

Administrative Sciences, 2020, vol. 10, issue 3, 1-24

Abstract: The present research focuses on whether the different combinations of the micro, small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) international scale and scope affect their international performance differently. The major purpose of this research is to study the paramount relationship between the SMEs’ international strategies and international performance. With a sample composed of 307 international SMEs, our empirical analysis defines three different strategic groups regarding the scale and scope of internationalization, that is, a high, medium and low international exposure of the firms. The scope, as an important international strategic dimension, is taken from two angles, the number of countries and the number of regional blocs where the firms operate. We assessed the strategic groups’ implications on the firms’ international performance. The latter was taken as a multidimensional construct composed of the financial, strategic and overall international performance respectively. We used the hierarchical regression analysis to test our hypotheses, and major results emerged. Higher levels of commitment with the international markets lead to better financial, strategic and overall international performances. These results are of utmost importance from the theoretical point of view and for the strategic decision-making of SMEs, opening new avenues for future studies.

Keywords: small and medium-sized enterprises; degree of internationalization; international scale and scope; international performance; performance measurement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L M M0 M1 M10 M11 M12 M14 M15 M16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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