Inter-personal and inter-organizational networks in internationalization of SMEs:a bibliometric analysis and review

Abstract

Small firms contribute to the economy by creating new vacancies and are the most common business form in the EU. However, small firms are not tended to expand internationally and only a limited number of small firms export to the countries outside the EU. The study aims to investigate inter-personal and inter-organizational networks in the international expansion of small firms. The investigation is grounded in analysis and synthesis of scientific literature. In addition, the bibliometric analysis was integrated into the scientific research. Bibliometric analysis of the papers published in 2000-2017 and obtained from Clari-vate Analytics database revealed that the significance of networking in international activities of small firms are not explored sufficiently while networking and internationalization of SMEs separately are a much more popular topic among researchers. The research results let us present insights for future investigations and implications for managers and policymakers.