臺灣博碩士論文加值系統

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in the global market place and are the back bone of various national economies, such as the Republic of China. In an ever-increasingly globalized and digitized world, small and medium enterprises’ internationalization patterns and drivers became a research focus. Even though SMEs are economically very important, there is a research gap in explaining their internationalization processes as well as unique challenges. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis was to contribute to an enhanced understanding of internationalization processes, challenges and entry modes by an analysis of existing theories and primary data collected through surveys as well as interviews with small and medium enterprises from the Republic of China. This thesis partly aligns with theoretical backgrounds, such as the learning process model in terms of internationalization. Through the study of unique entry barriers as well as entry modes, this study confirms the importance of certain motivators (e.g. profit and growth potential, push factors) to seek foreign markets. Moreover, this study indicates that international expertise of management positively affects companies’ urge to seek foreign markets and postulates that there is a relation between starting point of internationalization and the perception of the importance of company age. Besides, this study found unique challenges deriving from the country’s political status as well as important factors for the internationalization process (e.g. risk profile, governmental support and having an international mindset).

1. Chapter One: Introduction 1
1.1 Problem Statement and Research Questions 1
1.2 Purpose and Contribution of the Thesis 2
1.3 Structure of the Thesis 5
2. Chapter Two: Theoretical Framework 7
2.1 Introduction 7
2.2 Definition and Determinants of Small and Medium Enterprises Across the Economic Regions APAC, EMEA and the Americas 7
2.3 Internationalization Theories 10
2.3.1 Uppsala Model 10
2.3.2 Network Theory 13
2.3.3 Transaction Cost Theory 15
2.3.4 Born Globals 16
2.3.5 Modern Theory Concerning SME Internationalization 17
2.4 Motivating Factors of Internationalization 18
2.5 Theory Concerning Entry Modes to Foreign Markets and Determinants of Choice 21
2.6 Probable Entry Modes 23
2.6.1 Export Modes 24
2.6.2 Contractual Modes 25
2.6.3 Investment Modes 26
2.7 Entry Barriers and Barriers to Internationalization 27
3. Chapter Three: Research Methodology 32
3.1 Research Approach 32
3.2 Data Collection 34
3.3 Data Analysis 36
3.4 Validity of Data 37
4. Chapter Four: Findings and Discussion 39
4.1 Discussion of Research Question I 39
4.1.1 Market Analysis of the National Business Environment 39
4.1.2 Motives of Exploring Foreign Markets 42
4.1.3 Experienced Barriers to Enter Foreign Markets of Small and Medium Enterprises in the Republic of China 45
4.2 Discussion of Research Question II 47
4.2.1 Overview of SMEs in The Republic of China 47
4.2.2 Modes of Entry of Small and Medium Enterprises the Republic of China 48
4.3 Discussion of Research Question III 51
4.3.1 Supportive Institutions and Organizations 51
4.3.2 Overcoming experienced entry barriers and important factors of internationalization 53
5. Chapter Five: Conclusion 59
5.1 Recommendations and Summary 59
5.2 Shortcomings 61
6. References 63
7. Appendix 72

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