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Article
Publication date: 10 September 2024

Alireza Safargholi, Faezeh Yousefzadeh, Mehran Rezvani, Taraneh Farokhmanesh, Mohammad Hassan Mobaraki and Jahangir Yadollahi Farsi

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are highly concerned about every aspect of their international performance (IP) due to their limited resources. However, the literature…

Abstract

Purpose

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are highly concerned about every aspect of their international performance (IP) due to their limited resources. However, the literature has not given equal attention to every necessary aspect and has left some fields unexplored. Moreover, different approaches to assessing SME IP have made the literature even more fragmented. This research aims to identify the gaps in the research context and assessment methods of this concept.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review and a thematic analysis method are employed to review 272 journal papers published in high-quality journals.

Findings

By extracting six contexts in which the concept of international performance of SMEs has been analyzed, this study integrates the research themes with geographical domains and highlights which contexts require more attention. Moreover, this study provides a comprehensive review of the current state of this concept’s operationalization methods, illustrating the level of fragmentation and differences in the literature. Following the presentation of an enriched future research agenda, this study guides scholars on the current gaps and needs for research in specific contexts and domains while providing suggestions for a more cohesive assessment of the concept.

Originality/value

This study is the first to systematically review the research concerning the foreign performance of firms with less than 500 employees, extract their research context, illustrate uninvestigated fields and provide helpful suggestions about the concept’s operationalization method based on a comprehensive review of the extant assessment methods.

Details

International Marketing Review, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-1335

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