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When expanding abroad, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) experience various constraints, especially the liabilities of small size and foreignness. In this study, the authors examine postures, capabilities, and strategies related to international brand marketing that help SMEs overcome such challenges, establish a brand presence, and attain superior performance in foreign markets. Framing the investigation in the internationalization and capabilities perspectives, the authors employ multimethod approaches in a two-phase study among internationalizing SMEs based in Taiwan. In the first phase, they undertake an extensive literature review and then conduct case studies to formulate a conceptual model. In the second phase, the authors validate the model and associated hypotheses using survey data from a large sample of SMEs that target their products to markets worldwide. Results point to critical roles for these key constructs—international entrepreneurial orientation, international social media capability, and international market knowledge capability—as key antecedents to international branding capability and international brand strategy, in SMEs' international performance. The authors discuss the theoretical and managerial implications of these findings, highlighting the role of the critical constructs identified previously in driving superior international performance in resource-constrained SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: Cher-Hung Tseng, Cher-Min Fong, Kuo-Hsien Su Since the importance of the subsidiary's role continues to increase, a growing number of studies have focused on MNC subsidiary strategies. The aim of this study is to explore the determinants of a subsidiary's initiative. Based on the subsidiary research's classification provided by Birkinshaw and Hood, an integrated framework is developed to examine the influences of three groups of variables on the subsidiary initiative, namely, the headquarters-subsidiary relationship, the subsidiary resources and the network characteristics of the subsidiary. Since previous studies have focused on subsidiary initiatives in developed countries, this study addresses the issue of MNC subsidiaries in developing countries. The present analysis of 67 European, US and Japanese MNC subsidiaries in Taiwan reveals that each of the three groups of variables influences the subsidiary initiative. Furthermore, in terms of individual variables, it is determined that procedural justice, a subsidiary's relative capabilities, and a subsidiary's local responsiveness all have a positive influence on the subsidiary initiative. Finally, because innovation is critical to small business's global strategy, this study discusses the implications of subsidiary initiatives for global strategy of small business and indicates potential directions for future research.

Byline: Hsien-Jui Chung, Cher-Min Fong, Cher-Hung Tseng This study aims to explore whether the evolution of organisations is caused by the network system or by their own voluntary actions. This topic has deep implications for the issue of determinism/voluntarism. The determinism viewpoint suggests that organisational life is dominated by environmental conditions. The voluntarism viewpoint advocates that organisations should decide their own futures. This study explores the relative effects of network system environments (system factors) and voluntary actions (action factors) on organisational evolution. International joint ventures (IJVs) in Taiwan are selected as research targets. We adopt an event history analysis to test a sample of 51 IJVs. Empirical results show that IJV evolution is triggered mainly by system factors and that action factors have little explanatory power over IJV evolution. These results imply that the determinism viewpoint is more solid than the voluntarism viewpoint and that the relationship between determinism and voluntarism is more likely to be the opposite in Taiwan's industry context.

Byline: Cher-Min Fong, Cher-Hung Tseng, Chung-Shing Lee, Hsien-Jui Chung This research investigates a series of major events and factors during the life-cycle stages of an international joint-venture (IJV) that may affect the business performance of the venture. The theoretical foundations of this research are joint-venture partner selection, strategic planning, and the theory of social exchange. A sample of 51 USoTaiwanese and JapaneseoTaiwanese IJVs operating in Taiwan were collected and analysed. The research results show that factors associated with each major life-cycle stage of the venture exhibit a strong influence on the overall performance of IJVs. Choosing the right partner, comprehensiveness in planning, and post-established interactions between partners, all demonstrate significant impacts on IJV performance. The study reveals that, when managing a cooperative venture, managers should not ignore factors in subsequent evolutionary stages that may influence the IJV performance even though the pre-established conditions are favourable.