Small and Medium Enterprises （SMEs）, account for more than 95% of all businesses in many countries. These foster economic development and are significant contributors to employment and wealth generation. An observed...Small and Medium Enterprises （SMEs）, account for more than 95% of all businesses in many countries. These foster economic development and are significant contributors to employment and wealth generation. An observed phenomenon is the increased momentum of internationalization of SMEs in the developed world. A concern however, is the small percentage of the SMEs from developing countries emulating this trend. Also unexplained are： （1） What makes a small percentage of SMEs in developing countries succeed in internationalizing their businesses when the large majority fail？ （2） What provides the differential advantage to the growth businesses？ Therefore, this paper attempts to address the research question ＂what impacts the owner-managers＇ （OMs＇） perceptions of internal and external barriers have on the internationalization process of the SMEs in a developing country？＂ The data was gathered from OMs of SMEs using a mail survey. Export growth was used as the dependent variable in the study. The differential performance of growth and non-growth SMEs in foreign markets is elucidated in relation to the OMs＇ perception of informational, operational, marketing, and environmental barriers to growth. Significant differences were found between growth and non-growth businesses in relation to the OMs＇ perception of the above barriers investigated.展开更多
文摘Small and Medium Enterprises （SMEs）, account for more than 95% of all businesses in many countries. These foster economic development and are significant contributors to employment and wealth generation. An observed phenomenon is the increased momentum of internationalization of SMEs in the developed world. A concern however, is the small percentage of the SMEs from developing countries emulating this trend. Also unexplained are： （1） What makes a small percentage of SMEs in developing countries succeed in internationalizing their businesses when the large majority fail？ （2） What provides the differential advantage to the growth businesses？ Therefore, this paper attempts to address the research question ＂what impacts the owner-managers＇ （OMs＇） perceptions of internal and external barriers have on the internationalization process of the SMEs in a developing country？＂ The data was gathered from OMs of SMEs using a mail survey. Export growth was used as the dependent variable in the study. The differential performance of growth and non-growth SMEs in foreign markets is elucidated in relation to the OMs＇ perception of informational, operational, marketing, and environmental barriers to growth. Significant differences were found between growth and non-growth businesses in relation to the OMs＇ perception of the above barriers investigated.
