IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/iburev/v23y2014i6p1109-1126.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Foreign market entry mode choice of small and medium-sized enterprises: A systematic review and future research agenda

Author

Listed:
  • Laufs, Katharina
  • Schwens, Christian

Abstract

Despite significant differences between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large multinational enterprises (MNEs), the majority of extant foreign market entry mode choice literature has focused on MNEs. The current state of knowledge regarding SME foreign market entry mode choice is equivocal. The present paper reviews the current state of SME foreign market entry mode choice literature and maps future research directions. To this end, we systematically analyze 33 relevant journal articles for their theoretical frameworks and contextual dimensions. Based on this review, we identify gaps in the literature and develop an agenda to guide future scholarship in this important domain of research in taking SME-specific characteristics into consideration.

Suggested Citation

  • Laufs, Katharina & Schwens, Christian, 2014. "Foreign market entry mode choice of small and medium-sized enterprises: A systematic review and future research agenda," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(6), pages 1109-1126.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:iburev:v:23:y:2014:i:6:p:1109-1126
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ibusrev.2014.03.006
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969593114000444
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2014.03.006?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Erin Anderson & Hubert Gatignon, 1986. "Modes of Foreign Entry: A Transaction Cost Analysis and Propositions," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 17(3), pages 1-26, September.
    2. Dikova, Desislava, 2009. "Performance of foreign subsidiaries: Does psychic distance matter?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 38-49, February.
    3. Jeffrey C. Shuman & John A. Seeger, 1986. "The Theory and Practice of Strategic Management in Smaller Rapid Growth Firms," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 11(1), pages 7-18, July.
    4. Jonathan L Calof, 1994. "The Relationship Between Firm Size and Export Behavior Revisited," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 25(2), pages 367-387, June.
    5. Vivek Sharma, 2011. "Stock returns and product market competition: beyond industry concentration," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 37(3), pages 283-299, October.
    6. Charles W. L. Hill & Peter Hwang & W. Chan Kim, 1990. "An eclectic theory of the choice of international entry mode," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 11(2), pages 117-128, February.
    7. Stephanie A. Fernhaber & Patricia P. McDougall & Benjamin M. Oviatt, 2007. "Exploring the Role of Industry Structure in New Venture Internationalization," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 31(4), pages 517-542, July.
    8. Gary A Knight & S Tamar Cavusgil, 2004. "Innovation, organizational capabilities, and the born-global firm," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 35(2), pages 124-141, March.
    9. Rainer Harms & Holger Schiele, 2012. "Antecedents and consequences of effectuation and causation in the international new venture creation process," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 10(2), pages 95-116, June.
    10. Ronald K. Mitchell & Lowell W. Busenitz & Barbara Bird & Connie Marie Gaglio & Jeffery S. McMullen & Eric A. Morse & J. Brock Smith, 2007. "The Central Question in Entrepreneurial Cognition Research 2007," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 31(1), pages 1-27, January.
    11. Andrew L. Zacharakis, 1997. "Entrepreneurial Entry into Foreign Markets: A Transaction Cost Perspective," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 21(3), pages 23-40, April.
    12. Cheng, Hsiang-Lin & Yu, Chow-Ming Joseph, 2008. "Institutional pressures and initiation of internationalization: Evidence from Taiwanese small- and medium-sized enterprises," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 17(3), pages 331-348, June.
    13. Rubén Fernández-Ortiz & Guadalupe Fuentes Lombardo, 2009. "Influence of the capacities of top management on the internationalization of SMEs," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(2), pages 131-154, March.
    14. Jan Johanson & Jan-Erik Vahlne, 1977. "The Internationalization Process of the Firm—A Model of Knowledge Development and Increasing Foreign Market Commitments," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 8(1), pages 23-32, March.
    15. Keith D. Brouthers & Lance Eliot Brouthers & Steve Werner, 2008. "Real Options, International Entry Mode Choice and Performance," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(5), pages 936-960, July.
    16. Brouthers, Keith D. & Brouthers, Lance Eliot & Werner, Steve, 1996. "Dunning's eclectic theory and the smaller firm: The impact of ownership and locational advantages on the choice of entry-modes in the computer software industry," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 5(4), pages 377-394, August.
    17. Schwens, Christian & Kabst, Ruediger, 2009. "How early opposed to late internationalizers learn: Experience of others and paradigms of interpretation," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(5), pages 509-522, October.
    18. Yigang Pan & David K Tse, 2000. "The Hierarchical Model of Market Entry Modes," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 31(4), pages 535-554, December.
    19. Daphne Yiu & Shige Makino, 2002. "The Choice Between Joint Venture and Wholly Owned Subsidiary: An Institutional Perspective," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 13(6), pages 667-683, December.
    20. McDougall, Patricia P., 1989. "International versus domestic entrepreneurship: New venture strategic behavior and industry structure," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 4(6), pages 387-400, November.
    21. Douglas Dow & Jorma Larimo, 2011. "Disentangling the Roles of International Experience and Distance in Establishment Mode Choice," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 51(3), pages 321-355, June.
    22. Canabal, Anne & White III, George O., 2008. "Entry mode research: Past and future," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 17(3), pages 267-284, June.
    23. Jones, Marian V. & Coviello, Nicole & Tang, Yee Kwan, 2011. "International Entrepreneurship research (1989–2009): A domain ontology and thematic analysis," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 26(6), pages 632-659.
    24. Mudambi, R. & Mudambi, S. M., 2002. "Diversification and market entry choices in the context of foreign direct investment," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 11(1), pages 35-55, February.
    25. Elena Golovko & Giovanni Valentini, 2011. "Exploring the complementarity between innovation and export for SMEs’ growth," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(3), pages 362-380, April.
    26. Slangen, Arjen & Hennart, Jean-François, 2007. "Greenfield or acquisition entry: A review of the empirical foreign establishment mode literature," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 403-429, December.
    27. Sergio Mariotti & Lucia Piscitello, 2001. "Localized capabilities and the internationalization of manufacturing activities by SMEs," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(1), pages 65-80, January.
    28. Jane W Lu, 2002. "Intra- and Inter-organizational Imitative Behavior: Institutional Influences on Japanese Firms' Entry Mode Choice," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 33(1), pages 19-37, March.
    29. Gary A Knight & S Tamer Cavusgil, 2004. "Innovation, organizational capabilities, and the born-global firm," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 35(4), pages 334-334, July.
    30. Christian Schwens & Julia Eiche & Ruediger Kabst, 2011. "The Moderating Impact of Informal Institutional Distance and Formal Institutional Risk on SME Entry Mode Choice," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(2), pages 330-351, March.
    31. Jane W. Lu & Paul W. Beamish, 2001. "The internationalization and performance of SMEs," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(6‐7), pages 565-586, June.
    32. Keith D. Brouthers & George Nakos, 2004. "SME Entry Mode Choice and Performance: A Transaction Cost Perspective," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 28(3), pages 229-247, May.
    33. George Nakos & Keith D. Brouthers, 2002. "Entry Mode Choice of SMEs in Central and Eastern Europe," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 27(1), pages 47-63, January.
    34. Lianxi Zhou & Wei-ping Wu & Xueming Luo, 2007. "Internationalization and the performance of born-global SMEs: the mediating role of social networks," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(4), pages 673-690, July.
    35. Stephen Choo & Tim Mazzarol, 2001. "An Impact On Performance Of Foreign Market Entry Choices By Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises," Journal of Enterprising Culture (JEC), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 9(03), pages 291-312.
    36. Birger Maekelburger & Christian Schwens & Ruediger Kabst, 2012. "Asset specificity and foreign market entry mode choice of small and medium-sized enterprises: The moderating influence of knowledge safeguards and institutional safeguards," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 43(5), pages 458-476, June.
    37. Lee Li & Gongming Qian, 2008. "Partnership or self-reliance entry modes: Large and small technology-based enterprises’ strategies in overseas markets," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 6(4), pages 188-208, December.
    38. Schwens, Christian & Kabst, Ruediger, 2011. "Internationalization of young technology firms: A complementary perspective on antecedents of foreign market familiarity," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 60-74, February.
    39. Jean‐Francois Hennart, 1988. "A transaction costs theory of equity joint ventures," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(4), pages 361-374, July.
    40. Coviello, Nicole E. & Jones, Marian V., 2004. "Methodological issues in international entrepreneurship research," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 485-508, July.
    41. Rialp, Alex & Rialp, Josep & Knight, Gary A., 2005. "The phenomenon of early internationalizing firms: what do we know after a decade (1993-2003) of scientific inquiry?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 147-166, April.
    42. George P. Huber, 1991. "Organizational Learning: The Contributing Processes and the Literatures," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 2(1), pages 88-115, February.
    43. J Myles Shaver, 2013. "Do we really need more entry mode studies?," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 44(1), pages 23-27, January.
    44. Keith D. Brouthers & Lance Eliot Brouthers, 2003. "Why Service and Manufacturing Entry Mode Choices Differ: The Influence of Transaction Cost Factors, Risk and Trust," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(5), pages 1179-1204, July.
    45. M. Krishna Erramilli & Derrick E. D'Souza, 1993. "Venturing into Foreign Markets: The Case of the Small Service Firm," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 17(4), pages 29-41, July.
    46. Kumar, V. & Subramanian, Velavan, 1997. "A contingency framework for the mode of entry decision," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 53-72, April.
    47. Crick, Dave & Spence, Martine, 2005. "The internationalisation of 'high performing' UK high-tech SMEs: a study of planned and unplanned strategies," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 167-185, April.
    48. Erramilli, M. Krishna, 1992. "Influence of some external and internal environmental factors on foreign market entry mode choice in service firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 25(4), pages 263-276, December.
    49. Peter J. Buckley, 1989. "Foreign Direct Investment by Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises: The Theoretical Background," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: The Multinational Enterprise, chapter 2, pages 24-45, Palgrave Macmillan.
    50. Morschett, Dirk & Schramm-Klein, Hanna & Swoboda, Bernhard, 2010. "Decades of research on market entry modes: What do we really know about external antecedents of entry mode choice?," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 16(1), pages 60-77, March.
    51. John H Dunning, 1988. "The Eclectic Paradigm of International Production: A Restatement and Some Possible Extensions," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 19(1), pages 1-31, March.
    52. M Krishna Erramilli, 1991. "The Experience Factor in Foreign Market Entry Behavior of Service Firms," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 22(3), pages 479-501, September.
    53. Thomas Hutzschenreuter & Johannes C Voll, 2008. "Performance effects of “added cultural distance” in the path of international expansion: the case of German multinational enterprises," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 39(1), pages 53-70, January.
    54. A Rebecca Reuber & Eileen Fischer, 1997. "The Influence of the Management Team’s International Experience on the Internationalization Behaviors of SMES," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 28(4), pages 807-825, December.
    55. Charles W. L. Hill & W. Chan Kim, 1988. "Searching for a dynamic theory of the multinational enterprise: A transaction cost model," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(S1), pages 93-104, June.
    56. Coviello, Nicole & Munro, Hugh, 1997. "Network relationships and the internationalisation process of small software firms," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 6(4), pages 361-386, August.
    57. Reinhold Decker & Xuemin Zhao, 2004. "SMEs' Choice of Foreign Market Entry Mode: A Normative Approach," International Journal of Business and Economics, School of Management Development, Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan, vol. 3(3), pages 181-200, December.
    58. Sanjeev Agarwal & Sridhar N Ramaswami, 1992. "Choice of Foreign Market Entry Mode: Impact of Ownership, Location and Internationalization Factors," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 23(1), pages 1-27, March.
    59. Pavitt, Keith & Robson, Michael & Townsend, Joe, 1987. "The Size Distribution of Innovating Firms in the UK: 1945-1983," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(3), pages 297-316, March.
    60. Benjamin M Oviatt & Patricia Phillips McDougall, 1994. "Toward a Theory of International New ventures," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 25(1), pages 45-64, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Paul, Justin & Parthasarathy, Sundar & Gupta, Parul, 2017. "Exporting challenges of SMEs: A review and future research agenda," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(3), pages 327-342.
    2. Dzikowski, Piotr, 2018. "A bibliometric analysis of born global firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 281-294.
    3. Surdu, Irina & Mellahi, Kamel, 2016. "Theoretical foundations of equity based foreign market entry decisions: A review of the literature and recommendations for future research," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 1169-1184.
    4. Christian Schwens & Florian B Zapkau & Keith D Brouthers & Lina Hollender, 2018. "Limits to international entry mode learning in SMEs," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(7), pages 809-831, September.
    5. Baum, Matthias & Schwens, Christian & Kabst, Ruediger, 2015. "A latent class analysis of small firms’ internationalization patterns," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(4), pages 754-768.
    6. Knight, Gary A. & Liesch, Peter W., 2016. "Internationalization: From incremental to born global," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 93-102.
    7. Schwens, Christian & Kabst, Ruediger, 2011. "Internationalization of young technology firms: A complementary perspective on antecedents of foreign market familiarity," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 60-74, February.
    8. Keith D. Brouthers & George Nakos, 2004. "SME Entry Mode Choice and Performance: A Transaction Cost Perspective," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 28(3), pages 229-247, May.
    9. Farhad Uddin Ahmed & Louis Brennan, 2019. "The impact of Founder’s human capital on firms’ extent of early internationalisation: Evidence from a least-developed country," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 36(3), pages 615-659, September.
    10. Jones, Marian V. & Coviello, Nicole & Tang, Yee Kwan, 2011. "International Entrepreneurship research (1989–2009): A domain ontology and thematic analysis," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 26(6), pages 632-659.
    11. Amankwah-Amoah, Joseph & Adomako, Samuel & Danquah, Joseph Kwadwo & Opoku, Robert A. & Zahoor, Nadia, 2022. "Foreign market knowledge, entry mode choice and SME international performance in an emerging market," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(4).
    12. Wrona, Thomas & Trąpczyński, Piotr, 2012. "Re-explaining international entry modes – Interaction and moderating effects on entry modes of pharmaceutical companies into transition economies," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 30(4), pages 295-315.
    13. Paul, Justin, 2020. "SCOPE framework for SMEs: A new theoretical lens for success and internationalization," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 219-230.
    14. Keith D. Brouthers & Liang Chen & Sali Li & Noman Shaheer, 2022. "Charting new courses to enter foreign markets: Conceptualization, theoretical framework, and research directions on non-traditional entry modes," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(9), pages 2088-2115, December.
    15. Maximilian Holtgrave & Mert Onay, 2017. "Success through Trust, Control, and Learning? Contrasting the Drivers of SME Performance between Different Modes of Foreign Market Entry," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-24, May.
    16. Ripollés, Maria & Blesa, Andreu, 2012. "International new ventures as “small multinationals”: The importance of marketing capabilities," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 277-287.
    17. Bembom, Michael & Schwens, Christian, 2018. "The role of networks in early internationalizing firms: A systematic review and future research agenda," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 679-694.
    18. Nisar, Shaista & Boateng, Agyenim & Wu, Junjie, 2018. "The entry mode strategy and performance of SMEs: Evidence from Norway," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 323-333.
    19. George Nakos & Keith D. Brouthers, 2002. "Entry Mode Choice of SMEs in Central and Eastern Europe," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 27(1), pages 47-63, January.
    20. María del Pilar Casado-Belmonte & Gema María Marín-Carrillo & Eduardo Terán-Yépez & María de las Mercedes Capobianco-Uriarte, 2020. "What Is Going on with the Research into the Internationalization of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)? An Intellectual Structure Analysis into the State-of-the-Art (1990–2018)," Publications, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-30, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:iburev:v:23:y:2014:i:6:p:1109-1126. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/133/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.