Step-by-step or stagnation? Internationalisation and cooperation in Finnish SMEs

The focus of this article lies on the process of internationalization in Fi nnish SMEs. Another aspect that is touched is the cooperation that the comp anies have with other parties. The article is a first attempt to integrate process models of internationalization with the network approach. The resul ts of an empirical study indicate that we could question traditional proces s models of internationalization, such as the Uppsala-model. The companies tend to stagnate in their internationalization process, instead of continuo usly putting more resources into developing their operational mode abroad. The results also show that the companies seldom cooperate with their compet itors, which could be seen as an appropriate way to get access to strategic ally important resources.