Torres, Juan P., (Researcher in business) (2012) Supporting the internationalisation strategy of small organisations. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

One of the main assumptions in the strategy field suggests that a manager's sequence of strategic decisions causes the evolution of resources and competitive positions to differ among firms over time. However, this evidence is not conclusive when Chief Executive Officers (CEO's) manage small firms which are located within markets with underdeveloped production of high-technology products and low technical knowledge required for production. This doctoral thesis concentrates on the investigation of how to support CEOs in their strategy development process related to an internationalisation strategy in small organisations - whose products and resources do not seem particularly unique - in giving them a competitive advantage over competitors in their target markets (e.g., fruit, wine, or fish industries). The present research has been conducted through two empirical investigations: an econometric analysis, and a case study research. The econometric analysis examines the tole played by CEOs in the export intensity of commodity-based small firms. Results from this study revealed that the CEOs' education is particularly relevant for explaining the export intensity. CEOs who developed capabilities from formal training, in companies that do not seem endowed with particular idiosyncratic resources, export intensively. The case study followed a facilitated modelling approach based on System Dynamic (SD) Modelling. This second inquiry focused on structuring, simulating, and evaluating the potential consequences of the internationalisation strategy developed by five CEOs. Findings emerging from this process provide evidence that SD modelling allowed the CEOs to identify more resources and their interrelated relationships (e.g., links, feedback, and delay effects) compared with using a simple description of the internationalisation strategy. Additionally, simulations that have emerged from SD models provided CEOs with scenarios closer to reality for both assessing strategic ideas and learning from simulated performance.

Item Type:	Thesis or Dissertation (PhD)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	International business enterprises, Small business, Strategic planning -- Mathematical models, Chief executive officers
Official Date:	November 2012
Dates:	Date Event November 2012 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Warwick Business School
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Kunc, Martin; O'Brien, Frances A.
Extent:	xv, 337 leaves : illustrations.
Language:	eng

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