Differentiation in foreign business relationships: A study on small and medium-sized enterprises after their initial foreign market entry

作者：Tolstoy Daniel^*

来源：International Small Business Journal, 2014, 32(1): 17-35.

DOI：10.1177/0266242612456571

• differentiation
• relationships
• internationalisation
• international entrepreneurship
• strategic flexibility
• networks

This article critically evaluates the notion that strategic flexibility related to products, business relationships and networks is critical for international small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) attempting to differentiate their firms in foreign business relationships. A model is developed to investigate the interrelatedness of these types of flexibility and their discrete effects on business differentiation in foreign business relationships. It is used to analyse a dataset covering 314 Swedish SMEs; the types of flexibility investigated were found to have positive effects (direct and indirect) on differentiation in foreign business relationships.

• 出版日期2014-2