Intangible Resources as a Determinant of Accelerated Internationalization

The aim of this research is to analyze the internationalization strategies followed by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) of Jalisco. Specifically, we want to identify cases of early internationalization, and how SMEs get and manage their resources. We developed an analytical framework based on the resource-based view of the firm and on two internationalization models, the Uppsala and the Born-Global. The purpose is to allow the analysis of different typologies of internationalized SMEs. The empirical results show the internationalization strategies of SMEs follow two main trends: the first presents a gradual internationalization, as suggests the Uppsala model and the second follows an accelerated internationalization, agreeing with the born-global approach. An interesting finding is that accelerated internationalization is not an exclusive behavior of technology intensive or innovating companies. In fact, it is possible to find born-global SMEs even in mature and traditional sectors. This is possible thanks to the control of strategic intangible resources like experience and relational capital of managers. These findings contribute to extend and deepen the knowledge of born global companies