HOW DO THE GOVERNMENTS PROMOTE THE INTERNATIONALIZATION OF COMPANIES? A MULTIPLE CASE STUDY

Abstract

In this article, we investigated the companies' internationalization process from the perspective of government actions in selected countries, through multiple case studies and content analyses. Key findings pointed out that the governments investigated tend to foster and support programs for the internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), mostly family businesses, which in contrast, represent 96 percent of the SMEs in Brazil. The article provides a new perspective on the role of the governments in fostering greater participation in the internationalization process of companies in an ever-increasing globally integrated economy