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Inward Internationalization: Important Challenges Among SMEs

Inward Internationalization: Important Challenges Among SMEs

António Carrizo Moreira (University of Aveiro, Portugal), Luis Miguel D. F. Ferreira (Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal) and Pedro Miguel Freitas da Silva (University of Aveiro, Portugal)
Copyright: © 2018 |Pages: 26
ISSN: 2327-350X|EISSN: 2327-3518|ISBN13: 9781522535430|ISBN10: 1522535438|EISBN13: 9781522535447
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-3543-0.ch012
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MLA

Moreira, António Carrizo, Luis Miguel D. F. Ferreira and Pedro Miguel Freitas da Silva. "Inward Internationalization: Important Challenges Among SMEs." Handbook of Research on Intrapreneurship and Organizational Sustainability in SMEs. IGI Global, 2018. 250-275. Web. 27 Mar. 2020. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-3543-0.ch012

APA

Moreira, A. C., Ferreira, L. M., & Freitas da Silva, P. M. (2018). Inward Internationalization: Important Challenges Among SMEs. In R. Perez-Uribe, C. Salcedo-Perez, & D. Ocampo-Guzman (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Intrapreneurship and Organizational Sustainability in SMEs (pp. 250-275). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-3543-0.ch012

Chicago

Moreira, António Carrizo, Luis Miguel D. F. Ferreira and Pedro Miguel Freitas da Silva. "Inward Internationalization: Important Challenges Among SMEs." In Handbook of Research on Intrapreneurship and Organizational Sustainability in SMEs, ed. Rafael Perez-Uribe, Carlos Salcedo-Perez and David Ocampo-Guzman, 250-275 (2018), accessed March 27, 2020. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-3543-0.ch012

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Abstract

The existing literature on internationalization and purchasing is vast; however, the inward internationalization perspective is an under-researched topic. In this chapter, the authors review the literature on internationalization of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to understand the main reasons behind international purchasing and the role of experience on internationalization. Using a survey and descriptive statistics, the results from 56 respondents show that SMEs source from a small number of countries and hold those relationships for several years. The main reasons underlying international purchases are lower prices and better product quality, regardless of goods availability on the domestic market. This chapter has some limitations concerning its exploratory nature, pertaining to its sample size. Some future research avenues are presented such as a deeper look on how internationalization processes differ when SMEs begin their activity by inward rather than by outward activities.

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