The Internationalisation Of Small-And Medium Sized Enterprises: Towards An Alternative Conceptual Framework

The business world today is characterised by a high degree of globalisation and internationalisation - a phenomena which affect all firms irrespective of size. After a summary of current learning theories, and the representation of an SME as a 'potentially unique problem type', the paper offers a critique of previous studies on internationalisation. A research methodology of 'bootstrapping' is utilised to develop a framework for explaining how SMEs in Malaysia identify, then tackle, opportunities and threats in the international arena. A broad analytical framework is developed, combining partial frameworks of insight from the literature in a range of academic disciplines (SMEs, strategic management, internationalisation and learning theory) with insights from key informants in current empirical work. The value chain is an essential component of the overall framework, underpinned by an organisational learning perspective. Our initial findings are only tentative. We do not present a 'model' of good business practice, rather a conceptual framework to examine how SMEs learn to develop in an international sense. This framework is helpful in explaining the development of firms encountered in our empirical research.