Strategie internacjonalizacji przedsiębiorstw z województwa małopolskiego. Rola zasobów i charakterystyki przedsiębiorstwa
Internationalization strategies of firms from Małopolska region. The role of resources and characteristics of a firm

Summary/Abstract: RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The aim of the article is to present the results of the conducted analysis of factors influencing the firm internationalization process in the form of an attempt to determine the role of a firm’s resources in the internationalization strategy implemented by it. In addition to literature studies, the article bases on its own survey which was carried out on a targeted sample of over eighty enterprises located in Małopolska. THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: The basic problem of the publication is a quantitative and qualitative analysis of internationalization strategies of firms from Małopolska. The article applies three main research tools, namely traditional literature studies, desk research and a survey carried out among a group of people managing Polish firms which have internationalized their activities (in‑depth research with the use of individual in‑depth interviews – IDI). THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: The reasoning consists of two principal elements: the conclusions coming from the literature of the subject on internationalization as a strategy and conclusions arising from the empirical part of the article, based on the analysis of the results of own research. RESEARCH RESULTS: Undoubtedly, internationalization strategies, being the consequence of globalization processes progressing for some time, have recently become one of development strategies of contemporary firms. The findings of research into relationships between the resources sensu stricto possessed by firms, competences and resources sensu largo, and the modes and pace at which the expansion progresses are related to the fact of possessing an internationalization strategy and its type and the path of implementing internationalization modes. Foreign capital, the territorial range of internationalization, as well as the total number of strategies implemented by firms from Małopolska are also quite important. CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: An approach to a firm’s resources, both sensu stricto and sensu largo, has a great impact on the internationalization process of businesses. It has been observed that the greater significance of those resources in a firm, the more extensive the internationalization strategy is. Businesses with more than average resources sensu largo have a capability of more dynamic expansion. Therefore, it is worth attaching special importance to resources, especially managerial competences, as they are not only an element of competitive advantage, but also an important factor of the internationalization process of firms.

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