Resumen de Internationalization strategy, firm resources and the survival of SMEs in the export market
Does �born-global� internationalization enhance or threaten a firm�s chances for survival in the export market? Despite the ongoing debate about born-global firms, we know little about what drives their survival in the export market. In particular, different theories yield conflicting predictions regarding whether born-global internationalization is superior or inferior to born-regional internationalization or gradual internationalization. Analyzing a longitudinal data set (from 1997 to 2005) of 1959 newly established Canadian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), we show that no single strategy is superior per se but that internationalization strategy moderates the relative importance of resources to SMEs� survival abroad. Although resources are important for the survival of all SMEs, the relative importance of slack resources and innovation resources are most important for born-global firms followed by born-regional firms, and are the least important for gradual internationalizers.
