Open AccessAn analysis of the internationalization of small Brazilian software companies
Author(s) -
Sandro Luís Diesel Cortezia,
Yeda Swirski de Souza
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
brazilian business review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.176
H-Index - 4
ISSN - 1808-2386
DOI - 10.15728/bbr.2011.8.4.2
Subject(s) - internationalization , obstacle , business , sample (material) , industrial organization , emerging markets , contingency , software , process (computing) , empirical research , marketing , contingency theory , knowledge management , international trade , finance , computer science , programming language , linguistics , chemistry , philosophy , chromatography , epistemology , political science , law , operating system
This article analyzes the internationalization process of small Brazilian software firms from the theoretical basis of a model that synthesizes the perspectives of experiential learning, systematic planning and the contingency approach applied to the internationalization of firms. The empirical base is a sample of firms in the software sector located in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The first step of the study entailed gathering data on a sample of 29 firms with international presence. From this sample, five cases were selected for a qualitative analysis from a multiple-case study approach. The results indicate that the internationalization of small firms is not a consequence of long-range planning, but rather of opportunities perceived by entrepreneurs in their relationships. Besides this, the study reveals that organizational capabilities are a key factor in this process and that the lack of knowledge about the external market is the main obstacle to the internationalization of the software firms investigated.
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