Brand Management as an Internationalization Strategy for SME: A Multiple Case Study

ABSTRACT

This research examines the role of branding in the Portuguese SME internationalization process and how the internationalization and brand strategies are articulated in the search for a better business performance within a competitive framework and increasing competitiveness environment. The article aims specifically at: (a) the strategy of creation and brand management; (b) the relevance given to the brand; (c) the importance of brand creation and management in the internationalization strategy. We chose a qualitative methodology, based on four cases studies. Our results suggest that branding strategies of SME cannot be compared with the strategies of multinationals. Budgetary constraints and human resources lead companies to invest in low-cost strategies. The importance of the brand lies in the distinction that allows competition with similar products within the sectors. Management of the brand does not come up as an essential strategy for the internationalization of a Portuguese SME.     

Classification of micro,small and medium enterprises (M-SME) based on their available levels of knowledge

This paper proposes a novel and practical method of classifying micro, small and medium enterprises (M-SME) based on their available levels of knowledge. This classification considers that the specific problems that dominate a company’s operations are related to the level of knowledge available. Therefore, identifying the dominant problem groups facing the company can enable an estimate of the level of knowledge available in the enterprise.Data from 2698 Mexican M-SMEs are used to identify operational problems. The main problem groups are obtained through a cluster analysis. The proposed classification consists of three levels of knowledge based on the interpretation of the dominant problem groups in each enterprise. Each of the 2698 Mexican M-SME are classified by a discriminant analysis.Nearly half of the M-SME are classified as having a lower level of available knowledge, and only 10% are classified with the highest level. No difference is observed between the size of the company and the level of available knowledge. This means that growth in the number of employees and sales of M-SMEs is not necessarily accompanied by an accumulation of knowledge that companies can use to improve their operations.     

Me,myself and I: The role of CEO narcissism in internationalization decisions

Internationalization decisions represent major objects of international business research; in this context, the respective role of decision-makers, i.e., strategic actors has been under study for now nearly 50 years. However, some important individual characteristics of strategic actors, which seem to influence individual decision-making in a significant way, have been – in contrast to general management research – widely disregarded. Among those characteristics, narcissism plays a decisive role. Trying to provide a first attempt to fill this research gap our paper aims at theorizing on as well as empirically analyzing potential relationships between narcissistic tendencies of CEOs and their internationalization decisions. The empirical study of major German manufacturing firms over the period 2004–2013 shows that CEOs with a high degree of narcissism tend to intensify business activities abroad in general while the expected effect on intensified activities in markets with a high psychic distance cannot be identified. These research results help to better understand the drivers of firms’ internationalization, stress the importance of recognizing managerial decision-making in the context of analyzing business activities abroad, and improve the prediction of CEOs’ decision-making behavior in general.     

中小非上市公司信用风险的评价研究——基于WEB与FAHP的视角

信用是人类社会最古老的词汇之一,而信用风险的管控是现代社会经济生活关注的核心问题之一。中小企业既是资本主义社会也是社会主义社会向前发展的源驱动力,中小企业的发展离不开现代信用体系的支撑。在文章中,中小企业按其信息的披露程度分为上市公司与非上市公司,相对于中小企业上市公司来说,由于交易的参与人信息不对称,中小非上市公司信用风险评估是交易双方以及各类金融机构最关心和最难解决的难题之一。在现代信息网络技术普遍化的背景下,利用人工以及机器搜索策略,充分挖掘中小非上市公司信息风险元和分类整理,并在此基础之上进行模糊综合评估,最后通过算例说明基于WEB对中小非上市公司信用风险的模糊综合评价的方法行之有效。     

浅析我国会计国际化的现状和发展趋势

随着全球经济一体化的不断发展,各国在资本市场国际化的大环境下,在构建特色经济体制的形势下,开始不断探索和发展会计国际化的方向与进程。探讨我国经济环境下会计国际化的现状及日后发展趋势,有利于完善我国现有的会计制度和会计准则,加快我国经济的发展步伐。     

我国中小企业人才流失问题分析及对策研究

文章从我国中小企业人才流失的现状出发,从企业、员工、社会层面分析了造成我国中小企业人才流失现象的原因,并提出相应的对策与建议。     

全球经济危机给中国高校国际化带来的新挑战及其思考

本文从国际合作与交流的角度出发,分析了当前全球经济危机给中国高校国际化带来的新机遇和新挑战,进而从课程建设、师资队伍建设、管理队伍建设三个方面,对如何应对新挑战、抓住新机遇进行了初步的探讨。     

Defensive Strategies of Local Companies Against Foreign Multinationals: Evidence from Chilean Retailers

ABSTRACT

Many retailers have been expanding into foreign markets, although not all such attempts at internationalization have been successful. This study examines the actions taken by Chilean retailers that negatively affected the operations of Home Depot, Carrefour and J.C. Penney in Chile. The results show that the strategies employed by local companies have consisted in: (1) becoming informed about the company's strengths and weaknesses, while imitating its best practices; (2) deepening their own market know-how and hiring high-level executives to lead defensive strategies; (3) opening stores in strategic places in order to win advantages concerning location; and (4) investing in technology and the training of employees. The overall effect on the market has been one of concentration and consolidation of the retail industry.

RESUMEN. Muchos retailers se están expandiendo a mercados extranjeros, sin embargo no todos los intentos de internacionalización son exitosos. Este estudio examina las acciones desarrolladas por retailers chilenos que afectaron negativamente la operación en Chile de Home Depot, Carrefour, y J.C. Penney. Los resultados de esta investigación muestran que las estratégicas empleadas por las empresas locales consistieron en (1) informarse en forma anticipada las fortalezas y debilidades de la empresa extranjera e imitando sus mejores prácticas, (2) fortaleciendo su conocimiento del mercado y contratando ejecutivos fuertes para liderar la estrategia defensiva, (3) apertura de locales en ubicaciones estratégicas para bloquear ventajas de localización, y (4) inversión en tecnología y capitación a los empleados. Los efectos sobre el mercado total fue de mayor concentración y consolidación de la industria.

RESUMO. Muitos varejistas têm expandido seus negócios para mercados estrangeiros, embora nem todas estas tentativas de internacionalização tenham sido bem sucedidas. Este estudo examina as aç[otilde]es implementadas por varejistas chilenos, as quais afetaram negativamente as operaç[otilde]es da Home Depot, Carrefour e J.C. Penney no Chile. Os resultados mostram que as estratégias empregadas pelas companhias locais consistiram em: (1) informar-se sobre os pontos fortes e fracos da companhia, ao mesmo tempo em que replicavam suas melhores práticas; (2) aprofundar o conhecimento a respeito de seu próprio mercado e contratar executivos de alto nível para liderar estratégias defensivas; (3) promover a abertura de lojas em locais estratégicos com o objetivo de conquistar vantagens relativas à localização; e (4) investir em tecnologia e no treinamento de funcionários. O efeito global desses movimentos no mercado tem sido o de promover a concentração e a consolidação da indústria varejista.     

互助担保基金的创新模式——ESMGF模式、运作机制

中小企业的不断发展,使其对资金的需求也越来越大,仅凭自身积累已远远不能解决问题。然而,由于中小企业自身及金融系统等多方面的原因,融资难的问题日益显现,成为阻碍中小企业发展的主要因素。为解决上述问题,设计了一种以产业集群为单位,由地方政府、协作银行、集群中小企业三方共同出资,共同承担风险,联合再担保机构的互助担保基金创新模式——嵌入再担保的互助担保基金(Embedded Se-curity Mutual Guaranteed Fund,ESMGF)。     

Stuck outside the single market; Evidence from firms in central and eastern Europe

Border effects on firms’ performance are typically estimated following reduced barriers to trade, for instance due to new trade agreements. This paper estimates a border effect on increasing barriers for firms located outside of a new external EU border following the 2004 and 2007 EU enlargement. In a repeated cross-section of three flows of EBRD-World Bank survey data, the study encompasses 23 border regions in 10 countries, four of which bordered new EU/Schengen countries. Taking border transformations as exogenous changes to firms’ environments, and focusing on small and medium-sized enterprises near borders, the results indicate that five years after enlargement, firms in non-EU member states near a new external EU border experienced a fall in sales of 40% and exports of 70% relative to firms near borders that did not change. Firms on the EU side of the same border experienced no such negative effect. Ten years after enlargement, the negative effects effectively disappeared.