What is Survey on Business Strategies

This chapter examines the factors determining international expansion for a group of Spanish family SMEs. Internationalization is modelled taking into account both the decision to enter foreign markets and the degree of internationalization. This chapter uses the information provided by the Survey on Business Strategies in Spain, including 1,519 observations. The results indicate that the presence of the second generation in the family firm, the establishment of alliances with other firms, and some intangible resources (in particular, product innovations, and human resources) all positively influence the degree of internationalization. The results also indicate that the size and age of family firms are important factors in determining their international expansion.