TY - JOUR
T1 - Business group affiliation and SMEs’ international sales intensity and diversification
T2 - A multi-country study
AU - Eduardsen, Jonas Strømfeldt
AU - Marinova, Svetla Trifonova
AU - González-Loureiro, Miguel
AU - Vlacic, Bozidar
PY - 2022/10
Y1 - 2022/10
N2 - This study examines the impact of business group (BG) affiliation on international sales intensity and diversi- fication in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by using a multi-country sample of over 13,000 SMEs from 34 European countries. Drawing on the revised Uppsala internationalization model and network theory, this paper suggests that the effects of BG affiliation on international sales intensity and diversification depend on the geographical dispersion of the BG network ties, the size and the age of the firm, and the institutional support in the home country. Thus, we find that interfirm networks in the form of BGs are a double-edged sword that can have both favorable and unfavorable consequences for international sales, depending on the geographical dispersion of the BG’s ties. In addition, the results reveal that BG affiliation is more beneficial for smaller SMEs and SMEs in countries with lower institutional support that are more dependent on the network resources embedded within BG networks.
AB - This study examines the impact of business group (BG) affiliation on international sales intensity and diversi- fication in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by using a multi-country sample of over 13,000 SMEs from 34 European countries. Drawing on the revised Uppsala internationalization model and network theory, this paper suggests that the effects of BG affiliation on international sales intensity and diversification depend on the geographical dispersion of the BG network ties, the size and the age of the firm, and the institutional support in the home country. Thus, we find that interfirm networks in the form of BGs are a double-edged sword that can have both favorable and unfavorable consequences for international sales, depending on the geographical dispersion of the BG’s ties. In addition, the results reveal that BG affiliation is more beneficial for smaller SMEs and SMEs in countries with lower institutional support that are more dependent on the network resources embedded within BG networks.
KW - International sales intensity
KW - International sales diversification
KW - Business group affiliation
KW - SMES
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85126145363&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ibusrev.2022.101989
DO - 10.1016/j.ibusrev.2022.101989
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0969-5931
VL - 31
JO - International Business Review
JF - International Business Review
IS - 5
M1 - 101989
ER -