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Strategic Partnerships And The Internationalisation Process Of Software Smes, Aileen Kennedy, Kathy Keeney Dec 2006

Strategic Partnerships And The Internationalisation Process Of Software Smes, Aileen Kennedy, Kathy Keeney

Conference papers

This research investigates the strategic partnering activities of software SMEs (small to medium sized enterprises), their motivations to engage in strategic partnerships as part of the internationalisation process, the key benefits achieved and the main challenges encountered. A qualitative research methodology focusing on Irish indigenous firms is used. Findings suggest that strategic partnerships were initiated to take advantage of firm synergy, reputation and credibility advantages. Partnerships also served as an important foreign market entry mechanism allowing firms to accelerate sales cycles and reduce risk in overseas markets. Challenges facing firms included partner selection and issues of control. Directions for further …


Towards Non-Prescriptive Issues: A Teaching Framework For Selecting Marketing Dissertation Topics, Conor Horan Jan 2006

Towards Non-Prescriptive Issues: A Teaching Framework For Selecting Marketing Dissertation Topics, Conor Horan

Conference papers

There is a significant absence in academic literature, textbooks and practical teaching tools for advising or guiding student learning, in a practical non-prescriptive manner, toward topic selection and development. Prescriptive or rational approaches, taken by many research methods textbooks, are not adequate or sufficient when teaching this important first stage in the research process. Non-prescriptive approaches describing manageable steps should be researched more to fill this pedagogic gap. This paper attempts to promote academic discussion on a pedagogic gap that is broadly overlooked, and to examine how marketing and business academics can better instruct dissertation students in the area of …