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Collaboration and Internationalization of SMEs: Insights and Recommendations from a Systematic Review
Author(s) -
Zahoor Nadia,
AlTabbaa Omar,
Khan Zaheer,
Wood Geoffrey
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
international journal of management reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.475
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1468-2370
pISSN - 1460-8545
DOI - 10.1111/ijmr.12238
Subject(s) - internationalization , extant taxon , scope (computer science) , fragmentation (computing) , work (physics) , process (computing) , systematic review , scale (ratio) , business , key (lock) , knowledge management , political science , computer science , geography , international trade , engineering , mechanical engineering , computer security , medline , evolutionary biology , law , biology , programming language , operating system , cartography
This paper performs a systematic literature review of the undeniably diverse – and somewhat fragmented – current state of research on the collaborations and internationalization of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). We analyze key works and synthesize them into a framework that conceptually maps key antecedents, mediators, and moderators that influence the internationalization of SMEs. In addition, we highlight limitations of the literature, most notably in terms of theoretical fragmentation; extant theories are deployed and illustrated but rarely extended in a manner that significantly informs subsequent work. At an applied (but related) level, we argue the need for supplementary work that explores the distinct stages of internationalization – and the scope and scale of this process – rather than assuming closure around particular events. With this, we highlight the need for more rigorous and empirically informed explorations of contextual effects that take account of the consequences of developments in the global economic ecosystem.