Purpose

Current research on small to medium enterprise (SME) internationalization has generated valuable insight but continues to overlook the activities of business-to-business (B2B) SMEs located in small emerging economies. This study aims to fill this gap by testing the applicability of the ownership, location and internalization (OLI) framework to understand the internationalization strategies of small B2B firms in Trinidad and Tobago, a small emerging Caribbean economy.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a qualitative research design, which involved in-depth interviews with senior executives of three firms in the B2B sector who were knowledgeable about their firm’s internationalization process. Thematic analysis was then used to understand the motivations and strategies underpinning the internationalization approach adopted by each firm.

Findings

Contrary to the stereotype of SMEs in emerging markets as fragile enterprises, there is evidence that firms exploited the development of innovative products and processes to facilitate foreign market entry and expansion. Additionally, firms overcame resource limitations by relying on governmental ties and leveraging networking opportunities. The findings also call attention to the impact of organizational learning and the role of knowledge as a dynamic capability.

Originality/value

Both the context of the study and the application of the OLI framework contributes to the extant literature by yielding substantive insights into the internationalization strategies of B2B firms in a small emerging economy. The findings further highlight how the OLI framework can be supplemented by other theoretical perspectives to better understand internationalization by emerging market SMEs.

中文翻译：

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克服经济限制：B2B 中小企业从小型新兴经济体的国际化

目的

当前对中小型企业 (SME) 国际化的研究产生了宝贵的见解，但仍然忽视了位于小型新兴经济体的企业对企业 (B2B) 中小企业的活动。本研究旨在通过测试所有权、位置和内部化 (OLI) 框架的适用性来填补这一空白，以了解小型新兴加勒比经济体特立尼达和多巴哥的小型 B2B 公司的国际化战略。

设计/方法/方法

该研究采用了定性研究设计，其中涉及对 B2B 领域的三家公司的高级管理人员进行深入访谈，这些公司了解其公司的国际化进程。然后使用主题分析来了解支持每家公司采用的国际化方法的动机和战略。

发现

与新兴市场中将中小企业视为脆弱企业的刻板印象相反，有证据表明，公司利用创新产品和流程的开发来促进外国市场的进入和扩张。此外，公司通过依赖政府关系和利用网络机会克服了资源限制。研究结果还提醒人们注意组织学习的影响以及知识作为一种动态能力的作用。

原创性/价值

通过对小型新兴经济体中 B2B 公司的国际化战略产生实质性见解，研究的背景和 OLI 框架的应用都有助于现有文献。研究结果进一步强调了如何通过其他理论观点补充 OLI 框架，以更好地理解新兴市场中小企业的国际化。