Title: The impact of internationalisation on the competitive strategies of SMEs

Authors: Frederic Le Roy, Olivier Torres

Addresses: University of Montpellier and GSCM Montpellier Business School University of Montpellier 1, ISEM, Espace Richter, Bat. E, Rue Vendemiaire, CS 19519 – 34 960 Montpellier Cedex 2, France. ' EM Lyon Business School, University of Montpellier; Universite de Montpellier III, ERFI, Route de Mende, 34199 Montpellier, Cedex 5, France

Abstract: The aim of this research was to study the effect of internationalisation on the competitive strategies of Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). An empirical study, based on the |strategic fit| theory, was conducted on a sample of 59 SMEs. It revealed that international SMEs are significantly different from regional SMEs in terms of a number of |competitive dimensions|. International SMEs are exposed to greater demands with regard to differentiating their products and minimising their production costs. They also adopt more pronounced concentration strategies.

Keywords: internationalisation; small and medium-sized enterprise; SMEs; competitive strategies; product differentiation; costs; strategic fit; concentration strategies.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2008.016590

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2008 Vol.5 No.2, pp.157 - 169

Published online: 11 Jan 2008 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article