Internationalisation Dynamics of Small and Medium Enterprises: factors of competitive advantage

Competitiveness, in the present framework of globalisation of economic activities, is assuming a prominent role both in theoretical terms and in the process of codification of effective policies and entrepreneurial actions. In this debate, among others, many aspects related to innovation, flexibility and technological progress are normally underlined with variable emphasis. The possibility of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to gain access to these competitive factors is a major concern, since most of productive systems of different countries of the EU are largely made up of SMEs, and since their probability to survive strongly depends on their capacity to gain competitive positions on international markets. This paper deals with the concept of competitiveness considering the export performance both at a macro and at a microeconomic level. From the first point of view, the regional aggregate export performance of Umbria (NUTS 2 region of central Italy) towards Eastern Europe is considered, using the most updated data. The microeconomic analysis, based on a recent survey (Daddi et al., 2004) on Umbrian firms, specifies some characteristics of the exporting firms, and highlights some crucial aspects and constraints of the competitive strategies adopted. The case of Umbria is particularly instructive since the region represents a significant variety of the economic development pathways typical of Italian development process. The outcomes of the study provide useful information about some aspects of SMEs competitive dynamics and important implications for policy intervention in the filed of promotion of SMEs internationalisation.