 Discovering Gaps in Internationalization Competences of SMEs¨Ca Comparative Case Study of Austrian SMEsJohanna Anzengruber Business and Management Studies, 2015, vol. 1, issue 1, 26-37 Abstract: This article adds to the debate on internationalization competences of SMEs. After an examination of the most influential papers, we systematically discuss the role of individual and organizational competence gaps before and during the internationalization phase. In more detail, we raise the question what kinds of competences gaps hinder SMEs to go international and what competence gaps arise during the internationalization. This is done using a comparative case study design with competence gap data from twenty-four SMEs in China and Austria. Our research reveals severe differences in competence gaps among those SMEs who have internationalized and those who will internationalize theirs businesses. Indeed, we found out that while internationalized SMEs perceive organizational competence gaps as higher as individual ones ¨C exactly the opposite is found at the SMEs working exclusively in their home markets. We conclude by proposing a systematic, continuous, and task-oriented allocation of the competence development efforts. Keywords: internationalization; Austria; SME; R&D; innovation; competence (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:rfa:bmsjnl:v:1:y:2015:i:1:p:26-37 Access Statistics for this article More articles in Business and Management Studies from Redfame publishing Contact information at EDIRC. |
Is your work missing from RePEc? Here is how to contribute.
Questions or problems? Check the EconPapers FAQ or send mail to .
EconPapers is hosted by the
School of Business at Örebro University.