Title: International market diversification of innovative European SMEs - what role do various innovation strategies play?

Authors: Christian Hauser; Jens Hogenacker; Kerstin Wagner

Addresses: Swiss Institute for Entrepreneurship (SIFE), University of Applied Sciences, HTW, Chur, Comercialstrasse 22, CH-7000 Chur, Switzerland ' Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences, University of Cologne, Albertus-Magnus-Platz, D-50923 Köln, Germany ' Swiss Institute for Entrepreneurship (SIFE), University of Applied Sciences, HTW, Chur, Comercialstrasse 22, CH-7000 Chur, Switzerland

Abstract: Based on a negative binomial regression analysis, this study investigates the link between various types of innovation activities and their export scope using data obtained from the European Commission for 1,053 innovative European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from the manufacturing sector. Our empirical findings reveal the heterogeneous effects of product and process innovation on a firm's export scope. The results show that firms with only product innovation have a larger export scope than SMEs with both product and process innovation or only process innovation. Firms involved in process innovation alone show a lower export scope than firms with other types of innovation activities.

Keywords: product innovation; process innovation; export scope; small and medium-sized enterprises; SMEs; manufacturing sector; European Union; EU; international market diversification; exporting; exports.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEV.2013.055296

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing, 2013 Vol.5 No.3, pp.310 - 326

Published online: 30 Jan 2014 *

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