Revisiting SMEs Internationalization Theories: Integrating Classical and Digital-Age Perspectives

Abstract: The Uppsala Model explains step-by-step SME internationalization but often fails to capture the rapid internationalization growth of born-globals and new ventures. Instead, networking, dynamic capabilities, and international entrepreneurial orientation, enhanced by digital technologies, drive SMEs’ faster and broader expansion abroad. These changes highlight the need to revisit SMEs’ internationalization theories from the classical to the digital age. This study aims to examine the applicability of the Uppsala Model, Resource-Based View, Network Theory, Dynamic Capabilities, and International Entrepreneurship theory to the internationalization of SMEs. The study synthesizes findings from the traditional theories and recent research on SME internationalization in digitally connected and globalized markets. Therefore, an approach that integrates resources and capabilities that match the digital era is considered a more effective way to explain SME internationalization expansion. Keywords: SMEs internationalization, the Uppsala Model, the Resource-Based View, the Network Theory, the Dynamic Capability Theory, International Entrepreneurship Theory JEL Classification Number: M16 and M160