Usucapión Larga de Bienes Inmuebles

According to lohanson and Vahlne ( 1 999), the decision to internationalise is generally composed of two main factors: the amount of resources committed and the degree of commitment. Many firms choose direct exporting as a suitable and feasible market entry strategy. In numerous cases they begin by shipping a product to a customer upon receipt of an unsolicited order and subsequent payment (Leonidou, 1 998). These unsolicited orders tend to have a higher occurrence rate when the firm maintains a web site (Beatty, Shim, & lones, 200 1 ). One advantage of direct exporting is the lower start up cost in comparison to more advanced involvements in international markets. The associated risk exposure being rather small is also an important factor for consideration. Substantial control remains with the exporting firm and the degree of exposure in most cases equals the value of the export venture.

Disadvantages concerning direct export include the distance from the customer and the distance from the general business environment of the foreign market which means little knowledge about what is going on in this market. Because of the remoteness, meeting the customers' needs and achieving a sustained competitive advantage might become complex and difficult to manage (Stonehouse et al., 2004).

A general consensus exists that exporting involves a certain sequence of decisions when servicing a foreign market. According to Hill (2007), a formal plan is useful to monitor the progress. He suggests that the international marketing plan should ideally address the following areas systematically:

( 1 ) Deciding to go abroad: reasons for internationalization.

(2) Scanning the international marketing environment / SWOT Analysis.

(3) Assessing product suitability and choice of products for foreign markets. (4) Selecting country / foreign market.

(5) Choosing a suitable foreign market entry and development strategy. (6) Designing an international marketing mix.

(7) Financing international operations. (Hill, 2007)

The creation of an internationalization strategy that is suitable for the finn is an arduous task. The difficulty starts with choosing the most appropriate export market. This can become a problem for finns that do not have the resources to engage in systematic market research. Oviatt and Mc Dougall ( 1 994) noted that this is often the case for small export finns coming from small countries that lack financial resources. The traditional 'single market entry' strategy focuses on one off-shore market at a time. Sometimes several potential markets are tried at the same time with only little investment. 'Sow and reap, focus and grow' is a pragmatic approach when the size of the finn is small and the resources for R&D are limited (Campbell-Hunt et aL, 200 1 ). Following this strategy only the successful markets will be selected for further development.

Traditionally, there have been two main approaches that explain what drives the making of international strategies. The initial industry-based view represented by Porter ( 1 980) was concerned with national competitive advantage. A second stream based on resource availability as promoted by Bamey ( 1 99 1 ) focused on the finn as the object of analysis (M. W. Peng, 200 1 ). The RBV which is shared among international business and strategy researchers in particular enjoys widespread support. There is, however, currently a new approach emerging and gathering support which is tenned the institution-based view (M.W. Peng, Wang, & Jiang, 2008). This third stream has been proposed in order to explain the different strategic modes of finns from emerging economies by taking the specific context into account.(M.W. Peng et aI., 2008).

The industry-based VIew looks at strategic Issues from a more macro-econormc perspective and tries to answer the question how competitive advantage can be created. Porter ( 1 980) describes various generic strategies to achieve competitiveness in foreign markets. His suggestions for competitive advantage include low cost leadership, product differentiation and a focus strategy (Porter, 1 980, 1 990). One fonn of focus strategy is the use of niche product strategy. This is of particular value for small resource-poor finns which have fewer options for more complex strategies due to their resource constraints (G. Knight & Cavusgil, 1 996). The success of some

born global firms, for example, is based on their ability to avoid direct competition with MNCs by specialising and focusing on small niche markets which the MNCs do not service (G. Knight & Cavusgil, 1 996).

Porter ( 1 998) suggests that clusters give small or poorer firms - which may lack the resources to form economies of scale - the possibility to prevail over global competition. In Porter's ( 1 990) view general strategic issues concerning achieving competitive advantage should be addressed at a national level. This can be an improvement of general education and training of a better skilled workforce, improvement of the local infrastructure such as capabilities in technology and communication networks, upgrading organisational structure, and accessibility of financial and capital markets. Porter ( 1 998) emphasises that the usual practice of government interventions such as imposing trade restrictions on neighbouring countries in order to strengthen vulnerable areas inside one's own country, are normally less efficient than the generation of clusters and the improvement of secondary factor endowments.

The RBV argues that, generally, resources determine the strategy formulation. In particular, the financing of international ventures is thought to be the most important issue for many firms (Welch & Luostarinen, 1 988). New Zealand firms, for example, seem to struggle with adequate financing of their exports (Simmons, 2002). Insufficient capital calls for alternative and creative ways of managing exports and the internationalization process. However, which sum amounts to sufficient funds is not clear. It seems related to the particulars of the business and is much dependent on time and environmental factors. According to Welch and Luostarinen ( 1 988) internationalization in itself normally increases the availability of the firm's own resources. Access to external finance is mainly dependent on the firm's assets and the business location (Becchetti & Trovato, 2002). A firm's overall objectives influence the choice of internationalization strategy. What is an appropriate strategy for a specific firm is dependent on its export barriers and constraints and can make the difference between good and bad export performance (Moini, 1 995; N. A. Morgan et aI., 2004). Small firms might choose a high quality niche product for export. A successful niche market positioning is strongly associated with the selection of a suitable export product. This can include added value features (Koh, 1 989). Cavusgil

and Zhou ( 1 994) reported a positive relationship of product adaptation to foreign markets on export success. Sometimes the redesign or change of the export product according to necessity of different international markets becomes an imperative.

Not just financial resource constraints hinder optimal export performance and internationalization, but also a lack of human resources, especially managerial expertise, can act as an obstacle to export. Several studies provide support for this relationship (Dominguez & Cirigliano, 1 997; Gomez Mejia & Palich, 1 997; Holmlund & Kock, 1 998). As the volume of sales increases, the organisation might see benefits in establishing an increasingly complex organisational structure. The function of the export manager as the communicator with sales representatives and agents in the target markets is enlarged. On the other hand, the number of employees in the export management section of firms is not always what counts. Communicating the firm's strategy clearly to all staff involved positively influences the attitude towards the common export goal. The strong commitment of one influential person, such as an international entrepreneur, can overcome many shortcomings and lack of human resources in the internationalization process (McDougall & Oviatt, 1 996).

The literature concerned with research on born global firms recognizes the reliance of firms on access to networks (Bell et al., 2003 ; McAuley, 1 999; Mort & Weerawardena, 2006). Firms that wish to internationalise sometimes have the chance to enter the supply chain of a large MNC. This can include real benefits as the firm gets the opportunity to share available networks and distribution channels of a MNC (Etemad, Wright, & Dana, 200 1 ). Entering the network of a larger firm relieves small firms of the necessity of building up their own distribution channels. A possible disadvantage, however, can occur when the smaller firm finds itself in a weak position during negotiations with the more powerful firm. By using networking small firms can reduce expenditure, time and risks involved in establishing their own networks in export markets. Obviously efficiency and cost competitiveness of small firms can be increased in that way. A well functioning synergistic relationship works both ways; the cooperation with small firms also serves the needs of MNCs which require custom-made services and reliable suppliers (Etemad et al., 200 1 ).

The third approach, the institution-based VIew of international business strategy, attempts to bring the aspect of the micro and macro level of the industry-based and RBV research streams together (M.W. Peng et aI., 2008). Researchers supporting the institution-based view argue that strategies do not only depend on industry condition or firm capabilities but also context and institutional frameworks such as legal, social and developmental conditions (M.W. Peng, 2003). This, especially, applies to the fast changing environmental conditions of emerging and transitional economies but also to the more stable situations of the developed countries. Good timing and speed can become a strong point of advantage in turbulent environments and can be given regard in the strategy formulation (Crick & Spence, 2005). Small firms have been shown to use speed and quick turnaround time to their advantage (Bhide, 1 994). The success of small firms in high tech industries where the window of export opportunity is not open for long supports this idea. In fast-paced conditions opportunistic strategies seem to be more successful than long planned or systematic ones (Bhide, 1 994; Teece, Pisano, & Shuen, 1 997).

To conclude, the field of international business strategy can explain the internationalization process of firms as the result of a series of favourable management decisions towards achieving competitive advantage in international markets. For very small firms, however, the competitive advantage might look like achieving a successful niche position or, even less grand, taking advantage of a limited number of export opportunities. In any case, successful strategies take into account the firm' s capabilities and core competence which will be discussed in the next section.