scholarly journals Network exploration and exploitation capabilities and foreign market knowledge: The enabling and disenabling boundary conditions for international performance

2022 ◽  
Vol 101 ◽  
pp. 258-271
Author(s):  
Anisur R. Faroque ◽  
Lasse Torkkeli ◽  
Hafiza Sultana ◽  
Mahabubur Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Foreign Market ◽  
Exploration And Exploitation ◽  
Market Knowledge ◽  
International Performance

Toward a deeper understanding of the roles of personal and business networks and market knowledge in SMEs’ international performance

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 812-830 ◽  
Author(s):  
Byoungho Jin ◽  
Sojin Jung
Keyword(s):  
Process Model ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Foreign Market ◽  
Personal Networks ◽  
Business Networks ◽  
Business Network ◽  
Market Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Performance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to, built upon Johanson and Vahlne’s (2009) Business Network Internationalization Process Model, explore the role of personal networks and business networks and their impact on foreign market knowledge and performance among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) after international market entry. Design/methodology/approach – With a total mailing list of 2,250 US firms, data were collected via a mail survey in accordance with the methods of Dillman et al. (2008). Findings – An empirical analysis of 105 SME cases revealed that business networks increased foreign market knowledge, which in turn also heightened the international performance of the SMEs. This confirmed the mediating role of market knowledge between business networks and international performance. Personal networks, however, provided little support in helping SMEs achieve foreign market knowledge and international performance. Originality/value – This study contributes unique empirical evidence demonstrating that business network internationalization models can be applicable to the context of SMEs; that is, having access to such a network (i.e. a business network) is found to be a critical factor of international performance.

Externally Acquired or Internally Generated? Knowledge Development and Perceived Environmental Dynamism in New Venture Innovation

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander McKelvie ◽  
Johan Wiklund ◽  
Anna Brattström
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
High Growth ◽  
New Venture ◽  
Knowledge Development ◽  
Knowledge Generation ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Growth Sector ◽  
Market Knowledge ◽  
External Market

We investigate the relative importance of external market knowledge acquisition and internal knowledge generation in new venture innovation. We argue that the effectiveness of externally acquired knowledge is less important in environments that are perceived as highly dynamic. To test our model, we examine 316 new ventures in one singular, high-growth sector. We find that managers have different interpretations of dynamism within this single sector and that these perceptual variations have important implications for how new ventures develop knowledge in pursuit of innovation. In so doing, we illustrate important within-sector mechanisms and boundary conditions behind new venture knowledge development and innovation.

The effect of foreign market knowledge on SME export performance: a study ofnon-traditional SMEs in Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aidatu Abubakari ◽  
Kwame Simpe Ofori ◽  
Henry Boateng ◽  
Koffi N’Da ◽  
Robert Ebo Hinson
Keyword(s):  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Absorptive Capacity ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Export Performance ◽  
Foreign Market ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Market Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose It is well documented in the extant literature that knowledge plays a crucial role in small and medium enterprise (SME) internationalization. Exporting SMEs from developing economies faces many challenges, including lack of knowledge about institutions in foreign markets, inadequate knowledge about foreign institutions and limited internationalization knowledge (IK). However, research on the export performance of SMEs has thus far focused on the internationalization strategies of multinational corporations. This study aims to explore the effect of foreign market knowledge on SME export performance. The authors also assessed the moderating effect of employee absorptive capacity in the knowledge-performance nexus. Design/methodology/approach The authors adopted a survey design to collect data from owners/managers of SMEs exporters in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. A total of 350 questionnaires were distributed based on convenience. Of this number, 257 usable responses were used in the final analysis. The authors tested the proposed model using partial least squares-structural equation modeling. Findings The findings show that the three types of foreign market knowledge tested in this study, namely, foreign institutional knowledge (FIK), foreign business knowledge and IK have positive and significant effects on SME exporters’ performance. It also shows that employees’ absorptive capacity affects the relationship between FIK and SME exporters’ performance. Originality/value The study demonstrates the types of knowledge relevant to SME export performance. The study further demonstrates the moderating effect of employee absorptive capacity on the relationship between knowledge and export performance. The study advances existing knowledge on SME performance, especially from an emerging economy context.

Forces influencing the speed of internationalisation

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 122-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry Langseth ◽  
Michele O'Dwyer ◽  
Claire Arpa
Keyword(s):  
Product Innovation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Foreign Market ◽  
International Markets ◽  
Tie Strength ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Market Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Global Vision ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – This study applies Oviatt and McDougall’s (2005) model of forces influencing the speed of internationalisation to small, export oriented enterprises. The purpose of this paper is to explore the significance of the forces enabling, motivating, mediating and moderating internationalisation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and the manner in which these forces manifest themselves in the market. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative research approach utilising eight case studies within Norway and Ireland was adopted in order to facilitate theory building required for this study. Findings – The findings demonstrate that four forces in particular are found to be strongly significant to the speed of internationalisation among the case SMEs: the enabling force of technology, the mediating force of entrepreneurial actor perceptions/owner-managers’ global vision and the moderating forces of foreign market knowledge and tie strength in networks. Practical implications – The empirical evidence has several implications for managers and policy regarding influencing the speed of internationalisation process. The enabling force (technology) has implications for government in their support of the SME macro environment. The motivating force (competition) has implications for government, in understanding what motivates entrepreneurs to enter international markets. The two moderating forces (foreign market knowledge and network tie strength) have implications for managers and can be leveraged through product innovation, increased focus on intellectual property rights for better protection against copycats, and through active and deliberate international networking. Originality/value – The paper suggests adjustments to Oviatt and McDougall’s (2005) model, permitting researchers to gain an in-depth understanding of the complex reality of SME internationalisation.

scholarly journals Local horizontal network membership for accelerated global market reach

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Ryan ◽  
Natasha Evers ◽  
Adele Smith ◽  
Svante Andersson
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Data ◽  
International Market ◽  
Foreign Market ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Born Global ◽  
Market Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Horizontal Networks ◽  
Horizontal Network

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explain how some born global firms can leverage the rich social capital in their local (home country) horizontal network for accelerated international market entry and growth. Horizontal networks warrant separate attention from their vertical counterparts, which, along with those focussed on external international contexts, dominate most network studies in the realm of born global research. Design/methodology/approach The study utilises a multi-level qualitative approach in the study of a multi-firm population of animators in Ireland that, due to the small domestic market for their product, needed to pursue global customers from inception. The case study domain was purposely selected as a critical exemplar of a local horizontal network operating in a highly globalised industry. The authors collected data through in-depth interviews with 16 company founders. This primary interview data were complemented by interviews with staff at the apposite industry association and triangulated with secondary data on the local and global industry conditions, members’ international successes and awards. Findings The results demonstrate how active membership of a local horizontal network can be leveraged for the acquisition of international market knowledge and customers for born global ventures. This arises from the sharing of collective market knowledge and communal global customer information within the network to mutual benefit. Originality/value Although limited by the specific conditions in this highly globalised, non-competitive industry context, this study is unique in that it finds that cooperative interpersonal and inter-firm relationships embedded in a local horizontal social network, and mediated in part by an institutional support actor, emerge as important levers for a born global’s accelerated acquisition of foreign market knowledge and of global customers.

scholarly journals FOREIGN MARKET KNOWLEDGE, COUNTRY SALES BREADTH AND INNOVATIVE PERFORMANCE OF EMERGING ECONOMY FIRMS

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (06) ◽  
pp. 1650059 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS ◽  
ANA COLOVIC ◽  
JIQING ZHU
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
Foreign Market ◽  
Emerging Economy ◽  
Market Knowledge ◽  
Chinese Firms ◽  
Innovative Performance ◽  
Time Compression ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
The Impact

We examine the impact of foreign market knowledge on innovative performance in emerging economy firms. We also study how this relationship is moderated by country sales breadth, i.e., the diversity of countries in which the firm derives sales. We test two competing theoretical perspectives on this relationship: diversity logic suggesting country sales breadth is beneficial to innovative performance, and time compression diseconomies logic suggesting the opposite. Drawing from a sample of 92 Chinese firms, we show that foreign market knowledge has a positive impact on innovative performance, and that this relationship is positively moderated by country sales breadth. Our study suggests that managers in Chinese firms develop effective capabilities in accessing, integrating and utilising foreign market knowledge from a breadth of international sources in their quest for innovation.

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