The Importance of Locally Embedded Personal Relationships for SME Internationalisation Processes – From Opportunity Recognition to Company Growth

The purpose of the paper is to present the importance of locally embedded personal relationships and individuals’ networks for the rise of small and medium enterprises (SMEs)’ opportunities in the internationalisation process (especially the market entry phase) as well as their international operations and growth. Above all, the aim of the article is to answer the question what is influencing the actual impact of these resulting opportunities on internationalisation and growth. This paper adopts both a conceptual and empirical approach to the problem based upon a critical review of pertinent literature. Two case studies of companies from industries representing different levels of technological advancement, that is the furniture industry and IT industry, are presented. The theoretical and empirical analysis presented in the article points to the fact that relationships simultaneously facilitate opportunity recognition and themselves constitute such an opportunity. The analysis carried out as part of the case study proves that main factors determining the rise of the opportunity based on locally embedded personal relationships are trust and mutual understanding, in this way emphasising the importance of relational embeddedness. At the same time the realisation of these opportunities and therefore their impact on the internationalisation process and a company’s growth requires additional social factors (an entrepreneurial attitude) as well as economic factors (such as quality and competitive prices)