Meeting each other’s needs: Collaboration between international students and SMEs : A case study of Ostrobothnia, Finland
de la Garza Musi, Adriana (2021-05-15)
de la Garza Musi, Adriana
15.05.2021
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2021051529986
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2021051529986
Tiivistelmä
Networking has been identified as an essential strategy on job search, and, in many cases, international students’ weak network ties in Finland place them at a disadvantage in finding employment. On the other hand, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Ostrobothnia region looking to improve their internationalization could benefit from international students’ skills and knowledge.
This research aimed to determine how international students can help SMEs in Ostrobothnia meet their internationalization needs. The thesis is a case study following the Resource-Based View (RBV) perspective and applying a cross-sectional mixed-methods approach. Academic literature has used the RBV to explain SMEs’ internationalization by considering SMEs’ resources and characteristics linked to success when becoming global. The quantitative data was collected through online questionnaires sent to the member SMEs of the Ostrobothnia Chamber of Commerce. Qualitative data was then gathered through semi-structured interviews with selected companies.
Based on the data obtained from the questionnaires and interviews, it can be concluded that SMEs in Ostrobothnia perceive obtaining reliable foreign representation as a major barrier. It can also be stated that there is indeed a willingness from SMEs to collaborate with international students. Nevertheless, this willingness is restricted by the limited economic and time resources from SMEs. Aiming to address this, collaboration models between SMEs and international students should be considered so that SMEs can participate without substantial economic or time investments. Moreover, this study reveals no unique collaboration model but a wide range of possibilities with great potential when certain characteristics are included in the models, namely, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) involvement, and participation not requiring a significant amount of time economic resources from SMEs.
In general, findings from the empirical study section of this thesis are strongly aligned with the existing literature. This research highlighted several interesting aspects of the entrepreneurial environment of the Ostrobothnia region. Still, further research is needed in order to confirm the collaboration model proposal and to compare the findings with other regions in the country.
This research aimed to determine how international students can help SMEs in Ostrobothnia meet their internationalization needs. The thesis is a case study following the Resource-Based View (RBV) perspective and applying a cross-sectional mixed-methods approach. Academic literature has used the RBV to explain SMEs’ internationalization by considering SMEs’ resources and characteristics linked to success when becoming global. The quantitative data was collected through online questionnaires sent to the member SMEs of the Ostrobothnia Chamber of Commerce. Qualitative data was then gathered through semi-structured interviews with selected companies.
Based on the data obtained from the questionnaires and interviews, it can be concluded that SMEs in Ostrobothnia perceive obtaining reliable foreign representation as a major barrier. It can also be stated that there is indeed a willingness from SMEs to collaborate with international students. Nevertheless, this willingness is restricted by the limited economic and time resources from SMEs. Aiming to address this, collaboration models between SMEs and international students should be considered so that SMEs can participate without substantial economic or time investments. Moreover, this study reveals no unique collaboration model but a wide range of possibilities with great potential when certain characteristics are included in the models, namely, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) involvement, and participation not requiring a significant amount of time economic resources from SMEs.
In general, findings from the empirical study section of this thesis are strongly aligned with the existing literature. This research highlighted several interesting aspects of the entrepreneurial environment of the Ostrobothnia region. Still, further research is needed in order to confirm the collaboration model proposal and to compare the findings with other regions in the country.