The internationalization of SMEs in emerging economies: consideration of the country of origin

Abstract

The world now presents itself as a framework where activities between firms from different countries are regular and in real time due to the reduction of legal and tariff obstructions as well as the increase in business opportunities driven by globalization. The objective of this contribution is to highlight the existence of a relationship between the internationalization of SMEs and the image of the country of origin of the products. On the basis of a review of the literature listing the literature on the internationalization practices of companies on the one hand and the effect of the country of origin, on the other hand, research was mobilized to understand the phenomenon at the heart of our studies and which supplants debates. An analysis of this literature revealed stylized facts showing a relationship between the export/import activities of SMEs and the image of the country of origin of the products. It turns out that the existence of a relationship between concepts related to the internationalization of SMEs and the country of origin is very little or almost not studied in the literature. This study, intended to be theoretical, is limited by the lack of a fundamentally empirical methodology for which a qualitative and sometimes quantitative approach would be an asset to accentuate the enrichment of research in the field. This contribution highlights an essential part of the literature in the field of internationalization, which is the consideration of the country of origin. Thus, SME managers could conduct a morality survey to find out what their target's expectations are in order to best guide their import and export strategies in order to achieve better performance. The particularity of this work lies in that it lays the foundations for a promising new line of research for the understanding of the phenomena governing the international activities of SMEs.

Keywords: internationalization, country of origin, SME importation, exportation

JEL Classification : F31 F6 G3 M3

Paper type: Theoretical Research