Succeeding in the French market: recommendations for small businesses

2011

Purpose – The purpose of this research is make managerial recommendations for firms operating or planning to operate in the French market. Design/methodology/approach – This study reports findings from an in-depth case study covering eight Finnish SMEs operating in the French market. To facilitate the understanding of the recommendations, the findings are discussed through typical features of the French culture. Findings – The findings report the best practices of eight Finnish SMEs operating in France. Research limitations/implications – Although the case study method made it possible to acquire detailed knowledge about the firms' internationalization, the findings can be generalized only …

Bridging Social Capital in the Foreign Market Entry and Entry Mode Change of Family SMEs

2010

Internationalization pathways of family SMEs: psychic distance as a focal point

2010

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how psychic distance affects the internationalization process, foreign market entry (FME), and entry mode choice of Finnish small and medium-sized family enterprises (family SMEs) operating in France. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reports findings from an in-depth case study covering four Finnish manufacturing family SMEs operating in the French market. The data were analyzed using the Uppsala model and distance creating and distance-bridging factors encountered in the FME to France. Findings – The findings reveal that the family SMEs mainly followed a sequential process and favored indirect entry modes before entering the Fren…

Social capital in relation to the foreign market entry and post-entry operation of family SMEs

2011

Scholars in the discipline of international entrepreneurship have mainly studied rapidly internationalizing firms. However, the majority of entrepreneurial firms are family-owned businesses (85% of all firms in the EU and the USA). Research on family business has focused on the importance of bonding social capital whereas, despite its importance, bridging social capital has not so far attracted much attention. It has been argued that bridging social capital plays an important role in firms’ internationalization processes. The purpose of this article is to examine the role of bridging social capital in the initial entry and post-entry operations of eight family SMEs with regard to the French…

Network ties in the international opportunity recognition of family SMEs

2011

The importance of network ties is emphasized in the current literature on opportunity recognition. However, it is unclear how firms with limited bridging networks, such as family SMEs, recognize international opportunities through their network ties. In this case study we found that in gaining foreign market entry, those family SMEs that lack existing network ties recognize opportunities through weak ties formed in international exhibitions. The findings also indicate that rather than being proactive, family SMEs respond reactively to opportunities that emerge coincidentally. The trustfulness of the tie is important when they consider these opportunities and form new ties for internationali…