Title: Exploring competitive strategies: the role of managerial perceptions and motivations on internationalisation of SMEs

Authors: Timothy L. Pett; James A. Wolff

Addresses: Department of Business, Rollins College, 1000 Holt Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789, USA ' Center for Entrepreneurship, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS 67206, USA

Abstract: Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) utilise resources and capabilities differently in order to achieve a competitive advantage. Some SMEs are able to exploit these advantages internationally because of the unique motivations and perceptions of management toward globalisation. The findings of this research suggest that SMEs implementing competitive strategies have uniquely different managerial perceptions and motivations to internationalise as demonstrated by the interactions of these constructs. That is, firms using differentiation approaches are distinctly different from those using a low cost approach particularly when the interaction effects of international, managerial perceptions and firm size are investigated.

Keywords: small- and medium-sized enterprises; SMEs; internationalisation; competitive strategy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEV.2017.086484

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing, 2017 Vol.9 No.2, pp.181 - 202

Received: 17 Dec 2014
Accepted: 15 Oct 2015

Published online: 10 Sep 2017 *

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