The role of resources and capabilities in subcontractos' internationalization processes. An analysis of Italian subcontracting SMEs

With the aim of providing some answers to the key question “what’s the role of specific resources and capabilities in enhancing subcontractors’ internationalization processes?” and so contributing to the development of the literature on small manufacturers’ internationalization processes we carried out a web-survey on a sample of 89 Italian subcontracting SMEs belonging to the plastic and mechanical industries. Results show that many of the monitored resources and capabilities (R&C) can have an important role in fostering subcontractors’ internationalization processes but also that the weight of specific resources and capabilities change as subcontractors grow.