Strategies for internationalisation within SMEs: the key role of the owner-manager

Based on the practical experiences of the authors through their work on a LEONARDO project, this paper focuses on the internationalisation process within small and medium sized enterprises and in particular, the key role of the attitudes and behaviour of the owner-manager. The paper argues that the owner-manager largely determines the behavioural characteristics of SMEs, and that in turn these behavioural characteristics are determined by the cultural orientation of the owner-manager. To illustrate the key issues involved, a conceptual model, the internationalisation web, has been developed. This conceptual model can be used to understand the policy implications that emerge from the arguments and to extrapolate relevant policy recommendations aimed at improving the efficiency of the support provided to SMEs wishing to operate in foreign markets.