The internationalization of British and Indian small and medium-sized enterprises: a comparative study

[摘要] The objective of this research is to address the need for empirical evidence on how and why British and Indian SMEs engage in and sustain mutual business relationships, and to contribute to theory development. It focuses on their internationalization strategies, and the potential relevance of psychic distance, social capital and learning. A mixed qualitative and quantitative methodology is employed to study the internationalization of British companies to India and vice-versa. The views of both British and Indian SME entrepreneurs were obtained for this purpose. The empirical investigation proceeded through two stages. The first stage consisted of qualitative exploratory research among the managers of 30 British companies and their partners in India. The second stage of the study involved a survey of 100 British SMEs and 100 Indian SMEs. The findings show that SMEs entrepreneurs tend to rely heavily on network support.However, despite their personal networks and use of advanced communication technologies, some entrepreneurs could not cope with the complex institutional features of foreign markets. We also observed that national differences are of considerable relevance for SME internationalization. We conclude that a distinct theory of SME internationalization is required and offer some suggestions to that end based on the research findings.

[发布机构] University:University of Birmingham;Department:Birmingham Business School, Department ofManagement

[关键词] D History General and Old World;DA Great Britain