THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PRE-INTERNATIONALIZATION OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES AND THE RESOURCES FOR INNOVATION

Abstract

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) despite the limited resources often seek internationalization for cost reduction and technological innovation to remain competitive in the market. Based on this context, this article seeks to verify the relationship between the pre-internationalization stage of SMEs and the resources for innovation. The company's innovation resources for internationalization were analyzed based on knowledge about the international market from the perception of the managers (SARASVATHY, 2009) and its networks (ASPELUND; KOED; MOEN, 2007). It was identified the main concepts of the literature on the stage of pre-internationalization and the importance of resources for internationalization. Through a survey applied in 104 SMEs of the city of Itajaí in Santa Catarina (SC), the binary logistic regression technique was used. The results of the research indicate that the independent variables knowledge about the international market and networks together presented high chances of association for the companies to be exporters. The work brought contributions to the literature of the pre-internationalization of companies and insights for scholars. For future research, we suggest the application of this work in other cities and the use of other variables referring to the resources of companies for internationalization, helping in the evolution of the understanding of their influence in the process of SMEs’ internationalization.