Leveraging Digital Technologies to Support the International Expansion of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55927/fjsr.v4i5.243Keywords:
Digital Technologies , International Expansion, Mediumsized EnterprisesAbstract
Digitalization is becoming increasingly vital for business growth, driving both structural and strategic changes within companies. For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), digital technologies open up new avenues for entering and thriving in international markets. This paper explores how existing literature has recognized the influence of digital technologies on SMEs' internationalization. It provides a detailed review of five recent and highly relevant academic studies. The insights are summarized through key takeaways that demonstrate how SMEs can leverage digital tools to enhance their performance in global markets. This work builds on previous studies addressing the shift in international trade prompted by digital advancements and offers a fresh viewpoint on current research related to firms' internationalization. Finally, it outlines future research opportunities for scholars aiming to integrate digital elements into traditional internationalization theories
References
Aagaard, A. (2019). Digital Business Models Driving Transformation and Innovation: Driving Transformation and Innovation. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96902-2
Autio, E., & Zander, I. (2016). Lean Internationalization. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2016, 17420. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2016.81
Autio, E., Kenney, M., Mustar, P., Siegel, D., & Wright, M. (2014). Entrepreneurial innovation: The importance of context. Research Policy, 43(7), 1097–1108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2014.01.015
Bejjani, M., Göcke, L., & Menter, M. (2023). Digital entrepreneurial ecosystems: A systematic literature review. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 189, 122372. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122372
Bharadwaj, A., El Sawy, O. A., Pavlou, P. A., & Venkatraman, N. (2013). Digital business strategy: Toward a next generation of insights. MIS Quarterly: Management Information Systems, 37(2), 471–482. https://doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2013/37:2.3
Brouthers, K., Geisser, K., & Rothlauf, F. (2015). Explaining the internationalization of ibusiness firms. Journal of International Business Studies, 47. https://doi.org/10.1057/jibs.2015.20
Coviello, N., & McAuley, A. (1999). Internationalisation and the smaller firm: a review of contemporary empirical research. Management International Review, 39(3), 223–256.
Coviello, N., Kano, L., & Liesch, P. (2017). Adapting the Uppsala model to a modern world: Macro-context and microfoundations. Journal of International Business Studies, 48. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-017-0120-x
Criado, A., Josep, R., & Knight, G. (2005). The phenmeneon of early internationalizing firms: What do we know after a decade (1993-2003) of scientific enquiry? International Business Review, 14, 147–166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2004.04.006
Foscht, T., Swoboda, B., & Morschett, D. (2006). Electronic commerce-based internationalisation of small, niche-oriented retailing companies: The case of Blue Tomato and the Snowboard industry. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 34, 556–572. https://doi.org/10.1108/09590550610673626
Gankema, H. G. J., Snuif, H. R., & Zwart, P. S. (2000). The Internationalization Process of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: An Evaluation of Stage Theory. Journal of Small Business Management, 38, 15–27.
Hannibal, M., & Knight, G. (2018). Additive manufacturing and the global factory: Disruptive technologies and the location of international business. International Business Review, 27(6), 1116–1127. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2018.04.003
Hervé, A., Schmitt, C., Baldegger, R., & Schwab, K. (2016). TIMReview_2020_April - 1.
Iansiti, M., & Lakhani, K. R. (2017). The truth about blockchain: It will take years to transform business, but the journey begins now. Harvard Business Review, January 2017, 117–128.
J. Baldegger, R., & Schueffel, P. (2009). Le comportement d’internationalisation des PME suisses. Revue Internationale P.M.E., 22(1), 9–45. https://doi.org/10.7202/038608ar
Keupp, M. M., & Gassmann, O. (2009). The past and the future of international entrepreneurship: A review and suggestions for developing the field. Journal of Management, 35(3), 600–633. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206308330558
Knight, G. A., & Liesch, P. W. (2016). Internationalization: From incremental to born global. Journal of World Business, 51(1), 93–102. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2015.08.011
Kraus, S., Palmer, C., Kailer, N., Kallinger, F. L., & Spitzer, J. (2019). Digital entrepreneurship: A research agenda on new business models for the twenty-first century. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research, 25(2), 353–375. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-06-2018-0425
Kriz, A., & Welch, C. (2018). Innovation and internationalisation processes of firms with new-to-the-world technologies. Journal of International Business Studies, 49, 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-018-0147-7
Lu, J., & Beamish, P. (2001). The Internationalization and Performance of SMES. Strategic Management Journal, 22, 565–586. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.184
Mathews, S., Bianchi, C., Perks, K. J., Healy, M., & Wickramasekera, R. (2016). Internet marketing capabilities and international market growth. International Business Review, 25(4), 820–830. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2015.10.007
Matt, C., Hess, T., & Benlian, A. (2015). Digital Transformation Strategies. Business and Information Systems Engineering, 57(5), 339–343. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-015-0401-5
Nambisan, S. (2017). Digital Entrepreneurship: Toward a Digital Technology Perspective of Entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 41(6), 1029–1055. https://doi.org/10.1111/etap.12254
Nummela, N., Loane, S., & Bell, J. (2006). Change in SME internationalisation: An Irish perspective. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 13(4), 562–583. https://doi.org/10.1108/14626000610705750
Ojala, A., Evers, N., & Rialp, A. (2018). Extending the international new venture phenomenon to digital platform providers: A longitudinal case study. Journal of World Business, 53(5), 725–739. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2018.05.001
Oviatt, B., & McDougall-Covin, P. (2005). Toward a Theory of International New ventures. Journal of International Business Studies, 36, 29–41. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400128
Porter, M. E., & Heppelmann, J. E. (2015). How smart, connected products are transforming companies. Harvard Business Review, 2015(October).
Reuber, A. R., Fischer, E., & Morgan-Thomas, A. (2014). Understanding eINVs through the lens of prior research in entrepreneurship, international business and international entrepreneurship. The Routledge Companion to International Entrepreneurship, 165–185. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203517161
Reuber, R., Knight, G., Liesch, P., & Zhou, L. (2018). International entrepreneurship: The pursuit of entrepreneurial opportunities across national borders. Journal of International Business Studies, 49. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-018-0149-5
Ruzzier, M., Hisrich, R., & Antoncic, B. (2006). SME Internationalization Research: Past, Present, and Future. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 13, 476–497. https://doi.org/10.1108/14626000610705705
Sebastian, I. M., Moloney, K. G., Ross, J. W., Fonstad, N. O., Beath, C., & Mocker, M. (2017). How big old companies navigate digital transformation. MIS Quarterly Executive, 16(3), 197–213. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429286797-6
Sinkovics, N., Sinkovics, R. R., & Jean, R. J. B. (2013). The internet as an alternative path to internationalization? In International Marketing Review (Vol. 30, Issue 2). https://doi.org/10.1108/02651331311314556
Stallkamp, M., & Schotter, A. P. J. (2021). Platforms without borders? The international strategies of digital platform firms. In Global Strategy Journal (Vol. 11, Issue 1). https://doi.org/10.1002/gsj.1336
Strange, R., & Zucchella, A. (2017). Industry 4.0, global value chains and international business. Multinational Business Review, 25(3), 174–184. https://doi.org/10.1108/MBR-05-2017-0028
Tanev, S., Rasmussen, E., ZIJDEMANS, E., Lemminger, R., & SVENDSEN, L. (2015). LEAN AND GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY START-UPS: LINKING THE TWO RESEARCH STREAMS. International Journal of Innovation Management, 19, 1540008. https://doi.org/10.1142/S1363919615400083
Tiessen, J., Wright, R., & Turner, I. (2001). A model of e-commerce use by internationalizing SMEs. Journal of International Management, 7, 211-233. Journal of International Management, 7, 211–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1075-4253(01)00045-X
Vahlne, J.-E., & Johanson, J. (2017). From internationalization to evolution: The Uppsala model at 40 years. Journal of International Business Studies, 48, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-017-0107-7
Watson, G. F., Weaven, S., Perkins, H., Sardana, D., & Palmatier, R. W. (2018). International Market Entry Strategies: Relational, Digital, and Hybrid Approaches. Journal of Marketing, 26(1), 30–60. https://doi.org/10.1509/jim.17.0034
Welch, C., & Paavilainen-Mäntymäki, E. (2013). Putting Process (Back) In: Research on the Internationalization Process of the Firm. International Journal of Management Reviews, 16. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12006
Wellman, K. M. (1970). Computer grading of introductory organic chemistry laboratory results. Journal of Chemical Education, 47(2), 142. https://doi.org/10.1021/ed047p142
WITTKOP, A., ZULAUF, K., & WAGNER, R. (2013). How Digitalization Changes the Internationalization of Entrepreneurial Firms: Theoretical Considerations and Empirical Evidence. Management Dynamics in the Knowledge Economy, 6(2), 193–207. https://doi.org/10.25019/mdke/6.1.01
Zahra, S., Matherne, B., & Carleton, J. (2003). Technological Resource Leveraging and the Internationalisation of New Ventures. Journal of International Entrepreneurship, 1, 163–186. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023852201406



























