Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the similarities and differences in the internationalization of SMEs and MNEs and the specific factors affecting them. Design/methodology/approach – The relevant literature was reviewed particularly in the context of the major theories of...

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to investigate differences in the perceived performance and competitiveness of “successful” family and non‐family‐owned firms in overseas markets. Design/methodology/approach – This paper reports on findings from a postal survey and...

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to specifically explore the role of management characteristics in the international development of SMEs. Design/methodology/approach – Since the intention of this study was to build theory from an unexplored area of research, a multiple case approach...

Purpose – This research seeks to extend earlier work by Scharf et al. (2001) that examined the challenges faced by SMEs along their path of internationalization. In particular, the internationalization process in transitional and developed economies is examined. Design/methodology/approach –...

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to verify whether or not the accounting beta, a recognized measure of overall risk in publicly traded companies, can be used with unlisted businesses. Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents an empirical study using factorial and regression...

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to describe and analyse the change process related to internationalisation among three internationalising Irish SMEs. Design/methodology/approach – The authors employ a retrospective case study. The data were collected with face‐to‐face...

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to discuss the nature of co‐entrepreneurs (i.e. those companies that have a mixture of male and female founding members) within the ICT sector in Ireland. For the purposes of this paper, the term “co‐entrepreneurship” is used to describe male...

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to assess the place of language skills in the international orientation of decision‐makers of successfully internationalised SMEs. The position of language skills in this area of literature and policy is problematic and a new paradigm is proposed....

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to identify and analyse the common characteristics and behaviour of entrepreneurs that affect the establishment of Born Global firms. The differences between the Australian and Swedish contexts will be scrutinized. Design/methodology/approach – This...

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to explore the incentives to export that Lebanese entrepreneurs face when engaging in international business. Design/methodology/approach – The study was based on an empirical investigation of the incentives to export that Lebanese firms face when...