Internationalisation of emerging and developing countries’ small and medium-sized enterprises: A review of the literature and future research agenda

Abstract

This research aims to systematically catalogue the antecedents, mediators, moderators, and outcomes of internationalisation for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from emerging and developing countries (EDCs) by conducting a systematic literature review of 113 studies from 2005–2022. The analysis reveals that the antecedents, mediators and moderators of EDCs SMEs’ internationalisation are inherently paradoxical, often acting as both enablers and inhibitors. Our study identifies resource plasticity as the central mechanism that these firms use to navigate these contradictions. Theoretically, this challenges linear internationalisation models and provides a more nuanced understanding of how firms from challenging contexts internationalise by dynamically managing paradoxical forces.