Strategies for Internationalisation: How Chinese SMEs Deal with Distance and Market Entry Speed

Abstract

The authors of this chapter investigate internationalisation strategies of small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) in China. We highlight the specific challenges that Chinese SMEs encounter when selecting international country markets in terms of distance and entry speed. The authors adopt an ambidexterity perspective that differs from traditional explanations of internationalisation behaviour by highlighting the need to balance seemingly disparate options for international expansion. Three cases provide an illustration of how Chinese companies combine distant with proximate market entries and slow with accelerated entry speed. The authors highlight how these strategies can drive and enhance international aspirations of Chinese SMEs.

Citation

Prange, C. and Zhao, Y. (2018), "Strategies for Internationalisation: How Chinese SMEs Deal with Distance and Market Entry Speed", Dominguez, N. and Mayrhofer, U. (Ed.) Key Success Factors of SME Internationalisation: A Cross-Country Perspective (International Business and Management, Vol. 34), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 205-224. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1876-066X20180000034012