Foreign market entry for Russian SMEs: integrative approach

What factors play a crucial role in the decision making of Russian firms about foreign market entry? The search for an answer to this question becomes even more important if we account for SMEs whose capabilities are substantially limited compared to large companies. We used the unique data set of Russian SMEs in our study. Based on the logistic regression analysis, the results indicated that while competitive hostility and resource availability positively influenced SMEs internationalization,institutional heterogeneity had a negative impact on its likelihood. In the analysis we used a holistic «three pillars» framework (institutional, industrial, and firm-level factors). It helps to explore the differences between internationalized and non-internationalized Russian firms and to understand the relative contribution of each factor in forming internationalization propensity of SMEs in the transition environment.