# Assessing SMEs' Internationalisation Strategies in Action
## 3 Phase of Content Analysis
In summary, the literature that focuses on this area highlights a variety of performances for the international extension phase. These performances were classified into four categories: economic-financial performances (e.g., profits, sales, and costs), technical performances (innovation, and growth of specific skills), market performances (e.g., market share, market flexibility, and reputation), and organisational performances (e.g., relationships, partnerships, and organisational agility). Ultimately, the author who has done work/worked on the performance in the extension phase analysed the organisational and technical performances. We considered inappropriate discussion of the economic-financial and market performance. The literature is, therefore, exhaustive. A summary overview of the topic examined by the authors, as presented in Table 13.  
**Area 11: Impact of international penetration on performance**  
The eleventh area also includes 3 papers and focuses on the impact of international penetration on performance. Following is a description of the study objective, the methodology used, and the results obtained. [PERSON] et al. (2015) [149] used a path regression model to investigate how exploitative and exploratory learning can moderate the SMEs' exporting process to foster firm performance. The analysis summarized that exploitation does not affect small firms' internationalisation performance, but it is possibly a critical antecedent to effectively move towards internationalized markets, whereas, exploration significantly and positively leverages the impact of international involvement on firm performance. [PERSON] and [PERSON] (2019) [150] analysed the role of chief executive officers characteristics like age, education, tenure, and political connectedness affected SMEs' international performance. In summary, the literature that focuses on this area highlights a variety of performances for the early entrance/development phase. These performances were classified into 4 categories: economic-financial performances (e.g., profits, sales and costs), technical performances (e.g., innovation, and growth of specific skills), market performances (e.g., market share, market flexibility, and reputation), and organisational performances (e.g., relationships, partnerships and organisational agility). Ultimately, the author who has done work on the performance's international penetration phase analysed the organisational and market performances. There is a gap regarding the treatment of the technical and economic-financial performance in the penetration phase. We proposed in Table 14 a summary overview of the topic by the author's work examined. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c} \hline \hline
**Performance** & **References** \\ \hline Economic–financial & - \\ \hline Market & - \\ \hline Technical & [146; 147] \\ \hline Organisational & [146; 148] \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 13: Impact of international extension on performance. **Area 12: Impact of international integration on performance**  
The twelfth area includes 28 papers and focuses on the impact of international integration on performance. Following is a description of the object of the author's analysis, the methodology used, and the results obtained. [PERSON] et al. (2016) [152] investigated the impact of personal networks and business networks on SMEs post international market entry performance. A total of 105 mail survey responses gathered from U.S. SMEs were analysed using multiple regression methods. Hypotheses testing supported that business networks enhanced foreign market knowledge which further improved SMEs' international performance. While personal networks somewhat assist SMEs in attaining knowledge of foreign markets and international performance. [PERSON] et al. (2016) [153] examined how network competence affects SMEs' national and international growth. For this, data were collected from 298 Finnish SMEs, representing five different industries, and analysed using regression.