Entry Nodes in Foreign Market Entry and Post-Entry Operations of Family-Managed Firms

Author(s): Katerina Kampouri, Emmanuella Plakoyiannaki
Abstract: The twofold purpose of this study is to investigate the types of entry nodes that family-managed SMEs select to enter foreign markets and to identify whether family-managed SMEs change their entry nodes after the first entrance to existing foreign markets. In doing so, this study employs a qualitative case study design of eight family-managed SMEs operating in the Greek apiculture sector. The findings contribute to the literature of family firm (FF) internationalisation by bringing into light two socioemotional wealth (SEW) dimensions that affect entry node development. In particular, the findings illustrate that the investigated firms embarked on different entry nodes by building indirect relationships (triads or tetrads) to enter the international arena. This was mainly due to family owners’ identification with the business. The results indicate that post first entry into existing foreign markets, the investigated family-managed SMEs aimed at maintaining relationships with their entry nodes instead of searching to find new international partners. This was mainly due to an emotional attachment of the family owners with their entry nodes. Still, the investigated firms changed the type of the international business relationships with their entry nodes by engaging in higher committed relationships in existing and/or new foreign markets.
Organisation(s): Department of Marketing and International Business
External organisation(s): Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Pages: 237-264
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66737-5_8
Publication date: 05-2021
Peer reviewed: Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012: 502016 SME-research, 502054 Entrepreneurship
Keywords
Portal url: https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/entry-nodes-in-foreign-market-entry-and-postentry-operations-of-familymanaged-firms(850c3f1f-9ed0-4d27-843c-ba05b30490f0).html