Purpose With its focus on the context of small firm internationalization, this paper aims to assess the important contribution of strategic determinants that influence export performance (EP), considering the mediating effect of competitive strategy. Design/methodology/approach Based on survey data from 247 Portuguese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) exporting textiles, members of the Portugal’s Textile Association (ATP), this research adopted a quantitative methodological approach, conducting an exploratory and transversal empirical study. Findings The paper finds suggest that entrepreneurial orientation (EO) has a positive and significant influence on differentiation and EP. Moreover, the results also highlight the role of intangible resources (IR) in the design of both differentiation and cost leadership strategies, which drives EP. Finally, absorptive capabilities (ACAPs) are highly related with EP. Practical implications The paper provides empirical evidence that EO, IR and ACAPs are predictors of competitive strategies and EP. Moreover, and alongside with firm’s resources, this study validates that competitive strategy does matters for small firm managers and the development of one type of competitive advantage is also a major performance enhancer. Originality/value This study provides fresh insights into entrepreneurship and strategic management literature, as it considers the importance of multiple factors to SMEs business growth. Moreover, this paper presents empirical evidences of the strategies that small firm managers should pursue and policy makers should support. Finally, this is an original study applied to the Portuguese textile industry.

Decision support systems for traffic management systems have to cope with a high volume of events continuously generated by sensors. Conventional software architectures do not explicitly target the efficient processing of continuous event streams. Recently, event-driven architectures (EDA) have been proposed as a new paradigm for event-based applications. In this paper we propose a reference architecture for event-driven traffic management systems, which enables the analysis and processing of complex event streams in real-time and is therefore well-suited for decision support in sensor-based traffic control systems. We will illustrate our approach in the domain of road traffic management. In particular, we will report on the redesign of an intelligent transportation management system (ITMS) prototype for the high-capacity road network in Bilbao, Spain.

This research provides a useful framework for identifying a small firms' propensity to engage in entrepreneurial orientation. We examine the impact of the Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) as a main resource and capability on small firm' growth.

During the last two decades, the phenomenon of company internationalization has acquired remarkable attention (Saboniene, 2009). Different aspects such as globalization, the dilution of trade barriers, or the significant increase in economic-business transactions in the euro zone have prompted many SMEs to consider international development as a core component of their managerial strategy (

This chapter assesses the important contribution of entrepreneurial orientation's strategic determinant that influences export performance. Based on survey data from 247 Portuguese small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), findings suggest that entrepreneurial orientation has a positive and significant influence on export performance. This study deepens our understanding and provides novel insights into entrepreneurship and strategic management literature, since it combines multiple factors and has obtained the importance of each construct in SMEs business growth. Moreover, this chapter presents further evidences of the strategies that small firm managers should pursue and policy makers should promote.