Piccole e medie imprese italiane oltre confine: un indagine empirica

Among the many researches related to internationalisation and international development, few contributes are really designed to suit small and medium enterprises’ specific needs. This paper explores the internationalisation process of the Italian small and medium enterprises, and aims to investigate their behaviour in the international contexts to ultimately outline general models able to optimize their peculiarities. The empirical study examines 546 SMEs along their internationalisation process, in particular the decision phase – motivation to expand abroad and introductory activities -, the international marketing strategy – marketing mix and operative instruments -, the achievements and future perspectives. The final aim is to define sustainable paths for SMEs willing to expand successfully over the Country borders. It also proposes important issues and management implications to be considered in the international developments of these SMEs.