Pre-Internationalization and Performance Conditions of First-Time Exporting SMEs

This article aims to determine whether pre-internationalization conditions improve the performance of first-time exporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Two are discussed here: firm age at internationalization. Building on aspiration-level model March Shapira (1992) with sequential internationalization international new-ventures approaches, this develops two research hypotheses proposing an effective alignment These examined using a panel database 522 French SMEs that began export operations for first time in 2014. The statistical results partially support our hypothesis by showing early-internationalizing lower relative their peers significantly increase post-internationalization performance. Contrary what we predicted second hypothesis, observe late-internationalizing SMEs, which deliver much higher than historical aspirations, reduce