Digital platforms and international performance of Italian SMEs: an exploitation-based overview
International Marketing Review
ISSN: 0265-1335
Article publication date: 11 February 2022
Issue publication date: 1 June 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Recognising the increasing relevance of digital platforms in socio-economic dynamics, the paper aims at investigating in which ways digital platforms can influence the economic performances of Italian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) actively engaged in foreign countries.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper adopts the interpretative lens provided by the exploration–exploitation dichotomy within current studies in knowledge management for defining knowledge-based factors able to influence the economic performance of Italian SMEs in foreign countries. An explorative study on secondary data related to 746 Italian SMEs is conducted for testing via structural equation modelling (SEM) the positive relationships between (1) SME's investment in information and communication technologies (ICT), (2) number of languages available for the SME's website and (3) number of languages available for SME's social pages and SME's return on sales (ROS) in foreign countries.
Findings
The results underline the key role of exploitation factors in terms of influence on SME's performance in foreign countries.
Originality/value
The paper enriches current studies about international marketing providing preliminary evidence about the key role of exploitation factors in influencing SME's performance in foreign countries.
Keywords
Citation
Caputo, F., Fiano, F., Riso, T., Romano, M. and Maalaoui, A. (2022), "Digital platforms and international performance of Italian SMEs: an exploitation-based overview", International Marketing Review, Vol. 39 No. 3, pp. 568-585. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMR-02-2021-0102
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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