Internationalization Enablers of Emerging Market Smes an Integrative Approach

We explore entrepreneurial enablers of emerging market (EM) small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) internationalization, since existing frameworks are insufficient to explain this phenomenon. To carry out our research, we conducted 25 semi-structured interviews and concluded that three internationalization enablers emerged as more prominent than the other currently discussed in the international business (IB) and international entrepreneurship (IE) literatures: networks, strategic entrepreneurship, and government support. Our research suggests that while EM SMEs mostly use institutional networks compared to social or business networks, they benefit from frugal and incremental innovation by managing their limited resources strategically. In addition, these firms benefit from government support aligned with the institutional networks in their home market. Consequently, EM SMEs decision-makers should view internationalization as a long-term strategic and entrepreneurial process to acquire resources, upgrade capabilities, increase efficiency, and ultimately promote the growth of their firms