Title: The efficiency of entrepreneurship policy support for the internationalisation of SMEs: the case of Slovenia

Authors: Romana Korez Vide, Vito Bobek, Vesna Cancer, Igor Perko, Lidija Hauptman

Addresses: Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Maribor, Razlagova 20, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia. ' Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Maribor, Razlagova 20, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia. ' Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Maribor, Razlagova 20, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia. ' Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Maribor, Razlagova 20, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia. ' Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Maribor, Razlagova 20, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia

Abstract: The objective of this paper is to evaluate the efficiency of entrepreneurship policy support for the internationalisation of Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Slovenia. For this purpose, the mean importance of the primary motives for entering foreign markets, as well as the barriers to entering and doing business in foreign markets, together with knowledge and expectations about governmental and non-governmental support services, were measured in the first part of this research. In the second part, the web portal of the central Slovenian institution for entrepreneurship acceleration – Public Agency for Entrepreneurship and Foreign Investment (PAEFI) – was analysed. The last part of our research comprised website analyses of institutional support for the internationalisation of SMEs, in three other selected member states of the European Union. The study highlights the low awareness and negative experiences of Slovenian SMEs with institutional support for the internationalisation of SMEs.

Keywords: SMEs; small and medium-sized enterprises; SME internationalisation; entrepreneurship policy support; global entrepreneurship monitor; foreign direct investment; FDI; cultural norms; social norms; website analysis; European Union; Slovenia; foreign markets.

DOI: 10.1504/EJIM.2010.035593

European Journal of International Management, 2010 Vol.4 No.6, pp.644 - 664

Published online: 30 Sep 2010 *

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