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The mediating role of alliances in the international market orientation-performance relationship of smes

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  • Nakos, George
  • Dimitratos, Pavlos
  • Elbanna, Said

Abstract

Enhancing international performance is a critical issue for internationalizing SMEs. Researchers have suggested that firms need to enhance their international market orientation (IMO) in order to increase performance; but the way this association works is rather unexplored. This is important for both theory and practice since its exploration would lead to a better understanding on how SMEs can effectively enhance their international performance. In this paper, we examine whether alliances through which firms access knowledge and resources play a mediating role in the IMO and performance relationship. We investigate our hypothesis on a sample of 94 companies based in the United Arab Emirates. We discovered that alliances mediate the IMO-performance relationship and we extend the knowledge- and resource-based views of the firm.

Suggested Citation

  • Nakos, George & Dimitratos, Pavlos & Elbanna, Said, 2019. "The mediating role of alliances in the international market orientation-performance relationship of smes," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 603-612.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:iburev:v:28:y:2019:i:3:p:603-612
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ibusrev.2018.12.005
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