An exploratory study of the motives and perceived effectiveness of international cooperative alliances among SMEs

摘要

The process of internationalisation is a difficult undertaking for firms that have limited resources, in particular for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME). In this context, it seems that cooperative alliances (CA) can be a successful strategy. Regarding SME, the article seeks to elucidate the influence of motives for international CAs on their perceived effectiveness. To achieve this objective, we performed a quantitative analysis of a sample of 107 Portuguese SME involved in international CAs. The results reveal a number of motives as relevant for the performance of international CAs. The paper ends with contributions and implications for practitioners, policy makers and academics.