Abstract
ROFESSOR PATRICK N. O FARRELL IS Assistant Principal and Professor in the School of Management at Heriot-Watt University, Scotland, and Dr. Jurong Zheng is a research associate in the School of Management at the same uiniversity; Dr. Peter Wood is Reader in Geography at University College, London, England. This paper analyses the process of internationalisation by SMEs in five business service sectors in the United Kingdom, engineering consultancy, management consultancy, market research, computer software and pu-oduict design. Hypotheses are formnulated and tested on evidence drawn fronm samples of SMEs in Scotland and the south-east of England reflecting the following issues: the time profile of entrx into foreign markets, location of foreign markets, mnode of entry into first anid largest markets, and the decision process uinderlying international market selection and entry nmode clhoice. Tiheiarlc significanit differences in the timing ol entry inito the first foi-eigli market h-x industry and there is also a significant relationship bettween inldustri and location of the first foreign iniai ket. Fexs firmrlis engaged in a process of explicitly choosinig a foreign market to enter. B V r-estrictinig theii consider ationto tl u merits of a proposal inll (id hoc order thex effectively conflatedl the two dlecisi(lns in-to onie. Simila-lly, 67 pei cenit of fit-ills mnade the inode choice (lecisioli xw ithow considering an alterinative no)(le.
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