Going Abroad to Innovate? The Role of Entrepreneurial Orientation in Foreign Business Expansion for Japanese Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturers
Going Abroad to Innovate? The Role of Entrepreneurial Orientation in Foreign Business Expansion for Japanese Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturers
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发表时间：
2018-06
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通讯作者：
Satoshi Yamamoto;V. Kan;Roman Bartnik
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作者：
Satoshi Yamamoto;V. Kan;Roman Bartnik
本文探讨了为什么一群高度专业化的日本工具制造商选择将其有限的客户群扩展到德国，尽管存在巨大的文化和地理差异。通过国际创业研究的理论视角分析这一现象，我们发现，与现有的日本客户相比，日本中小企业认为德国客户的等级主导地位较低，并且对其产品更加开放和欣赏。日本中小企业将与德国客户的高度互动学习关系视为产品和流程创新的强大潜在来源。总而言之，我们发现对创新的渴望是这些专业的日本中小企业将业务扩展到德国的关键动力。
This paper explores why a specific group of highly specialized Japanese toolmakers have chosen to expand their limited customer base to include Germany, despite strong cultural and geographical differences. Analyzing the phenomenon through the theoretical lens of International Entrepreneurship research, we find that compared to existing Japanese customers, Japanese SMEs perceived the German customers as less hierarchically dominant and more open and appreciative of their products. Japanese SMEs cited a highly interactive learning relationship with their German customers as a strong potential source for product and process innovation. In sum, we find that this the aspiration for innovativeness is a key motivator for these specialized Japanese SMEs to expand their business to Germany.