This collective book offers a cross-country perspective on the internationalisation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Scholars from prestigious institutions in Europe, North America, Australia and China provide new insights on how SMEs develop and perform their international activities.

This collective book offers a cross-country perspective on the internationalisation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Scholars from prestigious institutions in Europe, North America, Australia and China provide new insights on how SMEs develop and perform their international activities.

Internationalization is a strategic issue for companies as it is today the central axis for the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Market expansion and the growing importance of emerging markets offer new development opportunities for SMEs to use innovative strategies - such as head-deck strategies - to effectively penetrate these markets. This book focuses on understanding these new strategies. Why do SMEs use head-of-bridge strategies in order to internationalize? How do they deploy such strategies abroad? Based on the example of five manufacturing SMEs, which are at different stages of internationalization, this book highlights the main motivations, stages of deployment but also difficulties encountered in this direction. This book is a tool for assessing potential locations and provide managers with a new alternative in terms of internationalization, enabling rapid identification of key stakeholders, adapting their international development plan and anticipating potential pitfalls.

Nowadays, globalization as well as the successive economic, political and health crises have changed the rules of the game in terms of competitiveness for companies. In this context, SMEs perhaps more than others are forced to face several upheavals to secure their activities and guarantee their survival. While SMEs have well-known weaknesses linked to their resources, they also have many assets that enable them to constantly renew themselves. Flexibility, responsiveness and resilience are therefore the watchwords to create new opportunities to grow, innovate, and position themselves on international markets. But how do they call into question the dynamics, approaches, and strategies for evolving in the international market? What role does innovation play in pursuing these changes? Through this collective and multidisciplinary book, we confront the point of view of management scientists, engineers and practitioners, to provide a rich and complementary multifaceted insight into innovation and internationalization in SMEs. We thus highlight key success factors favoring the emergence of new strategies, dynamics and value-creating opportunities.

Background: The term born global was first used in a study of Australian manufacturing firms by Rennie, for McKinsey and Co. in 1993, to describe rapidly internationalizing firms. He noticed that these firms broke with the traditional method of internationalizing by incremental steps. This, in turn, led to the creation of the field of international entrepreneurship. Purpose: The purpose of this research paper is to increase the understanding of born globals, and more specifically, the role of the prior experience of the founders, their international networks and their ability to perceive opportunities. Another goal will be to identify key factors related to the success of born global companies. Method: To begin, a rigorous literature review was conducted, identifying recent, scientific articles (published within the past seven to ten years) based on keyword searches including, but not limited to: born global, international new ventures, international entrepreneurship (IE) and entrepreneurial opportunity recognition. A multiple case-study approach was taken, conducting semi-structured interviews with the founders of several companies identified as being born global. The interviews were coded and analyzed based on a theoretical framework. Results: The results of this empirical case study conform, for the most part, with prior research in the literature concerning born global enterprises. All of the entrepreneurs surveyed had extensive international backgrounds before forming their companies and all of them relied heavily on their network of international contacts, especially for the identification of opportunities. Implications: In these times of increased globalization and interconnectedness, studies showing how to benefit from these trends could be useful to current and future entrepreneurs, as well as governments and universities. Since it is well known that the drivers of economic progress and the majority of employment are in small to medium-sized enterprises, this research could certainly benefit policy-makers at all levels of government. Limitations and future research: Since the case studies were conducted in a limited area (only in Québec) and within a limited time frame (2014), the results cannot be generalized. As numerous other authors have mentioned, future research should incorporate longitudinal studies to follow the progress of born global firms over time.

With growing international business, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been faced with increased competition, but also with enhanced opportunities. Edith Olejnik addresses four major issues within the context of SMEs’ internationalization process: First, she identifies the three different internationalization patterns that SMEs take and analyzes how these patterns develop over time. Second, she looks at dynamic changes of foreign operation modes and the managerial reasons for these changes. Third, she derives an empirical classification of smaller family firms and profiles them using a comprehensive set of organizational variables. Fourth, she investigates the relationship between firm-level processes and dynamic capabilities in driving the international performance of SMEs. Based on theoretical considerations and empirical analyses this work provides important implications for research and management practice.

Singapore F&B companies must venture beyond Singapore for greener pastures. Venturing overseas can be successful for many, while others have failed. The key questions are the following: 1. What are the critical success factors? 2. What are the struggles? 3. Is internationalisation the same process for all companies? 4. What capabilities and competencies must the company possess to succeed internationally? 5. What are the internationalisation strategies to be successful? The book is based on a multiple-case study of the internationalisation of thirty Singapore food service companies. These Singaporean companies were categorised in the stages of internationalisation as aspirants, actives, and achievers. To strengthen external validity and data triangulation, the study included eleven industry experts, termed as advisers, and seven international purchasers of the Singapore F&B brands called acquirers. _______________________________________________ James Mok has written a must-read book for any F&B business considering international franchising, in particular throughout Asia. The thirty cases studies were well chosen to illustrate the complexity, challenges and pitfalls Asian F&B businesses face when introducing a foreign foodservice concept to overseas markets. This book also serves as highly useful guide for Asia-based F&B businesses to compete successfully internationally (Dr Stephen Choo).

With the globalization process, firms are seeking to expand their activities to international markets but are also “feeling” expanded competition from abroad. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), though seeking to expand abroad, have particularities that hinder their natural international expansion path due to particular barriers and challenges that most multinational firms have already overcome. Cases on Internationalization Challenges for SMEs provides a set of case studies on the internationalization of SMEs in order to share the latest empirical research findings in the field of internationalization in the context of a globalized world, and which considers a highly competitive international business setting. This includes examining the main reasons for the success or failure of the process of internationalization of SMEs and their inherent activities. Covering topics that include competitive advantage, export performance, and inward internationalization, this book targets managers, executives, and entrepreneurs concerned with how to adapt their companies to a fast-changing international business environment, how to conduct internationalization strategies, how to choose the most adequate international entry modes, and how to adapt their products and strategies to international markets. It is also suited for academicians, researchers, and students in the field of management.

Seminar paper from the year 2019 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 1,7, University of applied sciences Frankfurt a. M., course: Strategic Management, language: English, abstract: This paper focuses on different internationalization strategies for small business. The current term paper should explain the basics by defining the essential terms. Subsequently, reasons and motives for internationalization strategies listed for small business. As a result, conceivable market entry forms are to be set out with their advantages and disadvantages. Based on the strategy forms, the opportunities and risks that could arise for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in an international market entry strategy are then highlighted. Finally, in the last chapter, a conclusion is drawn and daring a look into the future for the small business. Internationalization has undergone a dynamic development in the past three decades. The main driving force were the political changes in the world. This political opening also led to a disproportionate growth in the world trade. These changes also affect small and medium-sized companies and are a current challenge, that should be raised, which is also reflected in the close ties, between the Term middle class and foreign trade shows. The globalization of the economy is forcing medium-sized companies to rethink and restructure their business processes and value chains. However, SMEs lack specific prerequisites for carrying out international business activities. Not just capital and management but also the knowledge of internationalization is a significant success factor. Nevertheless, SMEs can develop opportunities and successfully translate them into an international activity that, especially because of its niche strategy, aims to meet the special needs of international clients that can not satisfied by large companies A niche production or export, however, is not enough to assert oneself against international competitors in the long term. That is why influences like use of technical advances, short product cycles and fast and active presence abroad to internationalize the value chain of the company. For a successful and targeted internationalization strategy for small business, it should be necessary to create a concept that includes motives, market entry forms, possible potentials and conceivable obstacles.