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This study aims to identify the main reasons for forming a cooperation agreement in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and understand the role of reputation in this business process.

To achieve these objectives, a qualitative research approach was adopted, specifically the case study method. The context of analysis studied here was formed of five SMEs (cases) located in an inland region of Portugal. Data-collecting instruments were individual interviews and documentary analysis, and the data treatment technique was content analysis.

From the results obtained, it is concluded that SMEs have different reasons for entering a cooperation agreement and that the criterion of reputation, in the partner selection process, was quite frequently mentioned. In addition, the study found trust to be another important criterion when choosing a partner. This means that besides the resources a partner may possess, the most important aspect is that there should be mutual trust.

This study seeks to help SME managers to characterise and understand the phenomenon of cooperation and show the main criteria to consider when choosing their partner(s).

This study is innovative because it will help to characterise and understand business cooperation in SMEs and contribute to choosing a suitable partner, so that SMEs can achieve good performance, major market expansion and improve relations with their partners, in an increasingly competitive environment.

From a resource-based perspective, the purpose of this paper is to analyse the key success factors underlying inter-organisational partnerships in the university sport sector.

To attain this objective, the paper uses a qualitative approach, performing an exploratory case study in a Portuguese higher education institution. Four interviews with key informants and documentary analysis served for data collection.

Based on the case evidence, five generic success factors emerged: relationships, partner selection, complementarity, sporting performance and organisation, which are likely to determine the success of partnerships in the field of university sport.

University sport managers and other actors in the field should bear the major success factors in mind when taking strategic decisions. Specifically, relational capital and the complementarity of resources seem to be important in initiating and managing sport partnerships.

This exploratory study contributes to advancing knowledge of inter-organisational partnerships in a particular area: sport in higher education. More precisely, this research outlines which success factors are relevant in sport partnerships and deserve further investigation with other research designs.

The purpose of this study is to analyse the influence of failure factors on entrepreneurial resilience in micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

To achieve this goal, a quantitative and cross-sectional study was carried out. Using a snowball sampling technique, 133 Angolan MSMEs founders responded to a questionnaire.

The results indicate that entrepreneurs attribute the failure of their activities to financial and external environmental factors such as the economic crisis and changes in the country’s laws. However, these entrepreneurs are considered resilient, as they have enough capacity to resist the national market and have a strong sense of optimism.

Based on the empirical evidence, this study shows that the failure factors of the MSMEs studied have a significant influence on some of the dimensions of entrepreneurial resilience. At the practical level, the study can be also seen as a tool to support decision making in allocating resources to improve entrepreneurial resilience in developing economies.

This study contributes to the field of research on MSMEs in an innovative way, through triangulation of the factors of business failure and entrepreneurial resilience. Furthermore, it makes some contributions to developing the theory in entrepreneurship, which has been associated with various studies about business failure.

This study deals with the impact of resource scarcity on the innovation performance of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The purpose of this paper is to scrutinise whether resource scarcity among SMEs has an effect on their innovation performance.

The sample was based on panel data for 302 SMEs from the mechanical and electrical engineering sectors. Firms were divided into four groups by resource scarcity: human resource scarcity, financial resource scarcity, both types of resource scarcity and no resource scarcity. To test for significant inter-group differences in innovation performance, multivariate analysis of covariance and a multiple discriminant function analysis were carried out.

The results indicated that resource scarcity can have a positive effect on incremental but not radical innovation performance in SMEs. However, the authors found this to be true for financial resource scarcity only.

These results may not be applicable to all SMEs, as the authors only focused on the industries of mechanical and electrical engineering. Future studies should focus on analysing the internal structures of SMEs that led to this study’s results. More research should also be conducted on ways that resource-limited SMEs can appropriately conduct radical innovations. Finally, resources should be made available for both practitioners and academics, explaining why the acquisition of resources is not always be the best option in response to limited resources.

These results indicate that resource-constrained SMEs, especially those that struggle with limited finances, should concentrate their innovation activities on incremental rather than radical innovations.

This study closes the knowledge gap as to whether it is beneficial for resource-limited SMEs to focus on either incremental or radical innovation. From the theoretical viewpoint, the resource-based view provides two strategies for resource-limited SMEs: acquiring new resources or recombining available resources. The authors were able to clearly demonstrate for the first time that the recombination of resources is especially important for SMEs that specifically wish to pursue incremental innovation.

This study aims to show the role of social networks in the performance of small- and medium-sized firms (SMEs) in an inland region of Portugal. The main objective is to ascertain the motives for adhering to social networks and to understand if this type of network influences performance in this firm sector.

To fulfill this aim, a quantitative research was adopted, based on application of a questionnaire, the final sample being formed of 86 SMEs.

Based on the results obtained, it is concluded that the SMEs studied are connected to social networks, especially Facebook. The principal reason for this type of firm connecting to social networks has to do with the possibility of presenting services to a greater number of potential customers.

The empirical evidence obtained also shows that the motives associated with cost reduction influence both financial indicators (profit growth) and non-financial indicators (human resource results), and communication and innovation influence only non-financial performance (level of satisfaction).

This study contributes to advancing theory in the field of social networks in SMEs. More precisely, this study suggests that to assess their performance, SME leaders should not use only measures of a financial nature (sales volume, level of growth, etc.), but rather in combination with non-financial indicators such as customer satisfaction, reputation and others.

This study aims to determine whether inter-organisational communication, based on four communicational dimensions (willingness, behaviour, commitment and quality), influences the performance of strategic alliances.

To achieve this objective, from a relational perspective, a qualitative approach was adopted, resorting to five small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)/cases in Portugal. Interviews with the key informants of these SMEs and documentary analysis were used to collect data.

Based on the cases analysed, the results show that communication is fundamental, valued and implemented in the SMEs studied. However, this is informal communication, reflecting the cooperation established and not based on contracts. In these SMEs, communication is the basis for understanding the alliance’s objectives and their fulfilment, which creates satisfaction in the partners and the alliance’s success. Communication also allows an alliance to be maintained and develop continuously, creating bonds between the partners.

Without that communication, alliance performance will not be possible. The study is relevant as it indicates management practices in strategic alliances based on inter-organisational communication, aiming for good performance. Therefore, it contributes to advancing knowledge about strategic alliances through the innovative link with inter-organisational communication and its applicability.

This study is new and innovative because it contributes to the literature in the area of strategic management, as it presents phenomena to do with inter-organisational communication and its relation with strategic alliances in SMEs, as well as advancing knowledge about the relational perspective. In addition, the application and development of inter-organisational communication, in all its communicational dimensions, are the basis for maintaining alliances over time and their performance.

From an absorptive capacity perspective, this study aims to analyse the influence of strategic alliances on the development of intellectual capital.

A quantitative study was chosen, with data on technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Portugal, leading to 257 valid answers.

The results obtained from a structural equation model show that learning/knowledge and efficiency as important functions underlying strategic alliances exert a strong influence on intellectual (human, structural and relational) capital.

These outcomes reveal that strategic alliances are a way for SMEs to overcome resource constraints in terms of intellectual capital, which represents an important implication for business practice. This study provides particular insights into how and to what extent alliance-specific mechanisms and functions lead to which improvement and effect.

The study underlines the importance of strategic alliances for technology-based SMEs. In this way, this study adds to the scarce in the field providing evidence for the SMEs sector. Therefore, strategic alliances and intellectual capital should be considered two key tools for this firm segment and worthy of further research in absorptive capacity.

This study aims to analyse the importance of intellectual capital (IC) in networks formed by start-ups, with a view to obtaining resources that individually they would be unable to acquire.

To achieve this aim, a qualitative approach was adopted, and within this, the case study method was used. The data-collecting instrument was the semi-structured interview, held with the business-people/managers of five start-ups present in an incubator (Startup Rém) based in Portugal, and with the person in charge of this incubator, together with observation and documentary analysis.

From content analysis, the results suggest that the business people recognise the presence of IC at the moment of creating their business and that this is a means to attain sustainability and, consequently, business survival. The results also show that in the absence of network formation, the relation between the incubator and the incubated firms can be affected and limited, interfering directly with firms’ use of IC.

This research aimed to highlight the importance of IC as an essential resource for business survival and sustainability and to encourage start-ups to regard networks as a way to share and convey knowledge. This study also intends to help firms understand the role of cooperation and mutual assistance in seeking sustainability and economic growth.

This study is innovative because it has filled the gaps identified in the literature, particularly the absence of studies on the importance of IC in networks formed by start-ups, and the study of the impact of IC on firms focussing on cooperation networks.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate what factors drive collaborative entrepreneurship. To do so, the authors examine the joint influence of both firm resources and entrepreneurial orientation on the decision to establish interfirm alliances. The paper considers new variables which are likely to determine the phenomenon.

Based on a random sample, the authors performed a cross‐sectional study among 84 Portuguese firms. Data collection was made by an online questionnaire with a personalised link and answer control codes. For data analyses, the authors used descriptive statistics and logistic regression (logit model).

The results indicate that several resources and some dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation are linked with collaborative entrepreneurship, but the effects are rather mixed. In particular, financial, commercial and administrative resources, as well as innovative potential and collective capability, seem to be most relevant for the alliance engagement.

This study contributes to a better understanding of collaborative entrepreneurship. Knowing the driving forces behind this phenomenon helps firms to engage more actively in interfirm cooperation.

The purpose of this study is to identify the reasons for the internationalisation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through strategic alliances and to understand how this internationalisation process evolves.

For this purpose, the authors decided on a qualitative approach and performed exploratory case studies of two SMEs in Portugal.

The authors found that in forming alliances, SMEs aim to increase sales and reduce costs. After the analysis, the authors believe that learning about other markets and cultures as well as having appropriate national partners are the key aspects in the internationalisation of SMEs through strategic alliances.

The authors revealed the influence of national partners in the internationalisation process. The firms in the study established alliances with national firms to facilitate international market entry. This holds in particular for partners that already have some international experience. Building partnerships with national firms allows the combination of competencies and requires a lower amount of internationalisation know-how on the part of the cooperating firms.

In spite of the opportunities going along with strategic alliances, there is only limited empirical evidence of their impact on the internationalisation process and vice-versa. This holds particularly true for the realm of SMEs.