Reflections
Internationalizing the Small and Medium Sized Firm – four cases
This is a fairly small study based on Swedish SME’s and their internationalization process and as mentioned, during an era where nothing was really like normal in many ways. Therefore the authors are very hesitant to draw any dramatic conclusions from it, but a couple of reflections can be made. Classical internationalization theories argue for a cautious and step-wise approach to internationalization. Support that companies can benefit from this is found in the study. Evidence is also found that the internationalization process is fairly complex and contains far more aspects than any single theory or framework available today can handle. A challenge for the future would be to formulate a framework for international expansion aimed at SME’s that could be used as an analytical tool by firms interested in the option of going international. The authors will not take the discussion any further here, but suggest that the individual, the organization and the environment could be used as starting viewpoints since there are aspects within each that are of importance.
