A Strategic framework for Chinese SMEs entering the European smart hardware B2B market
Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) increasingly seek to enter the European smart hardware business-to-business (B2B) market. However, despite initial market access, many SMEs encounter significant challenges during early project execution, coordination, and relationship stabilization....
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| Tipo de recurso: | tesis de maestría |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2026 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/456885 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/456885 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Small business -- China Computer industry Empreses petites i mitjanes -- Xina Informàtica--Indústria i comerç Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Economia i organització d'empreses::Economia sectorial |
| Sumario: | Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) increasingly seek to enter the European smart hardware business-to-business (B2B) market. However, despite initial market access, many SMEs encounter significant challenges during early project execution, coordination, and relationship stabilization. Existing internationalization models primarily focus on entry modes and access decisions, offering limited guidance for managing executionstage risks in complex European B2B contexts. In this study, market entry is understood not as the initial point of market contact or contract signing, but as the process through which Chinese SMEs become embedded in European B2B customer ecosystems through project-based collaboration and sustained interaction. Adopting a qualitative and exploratory research approach, this thesis employs a single-case study of a Chinese smart hardware SME engaged in European B2B projects. Data were collected through field observations, internal project documentation, interviews, and secondary sources, enabling triangulation and in-depth analysis. The findings reveal that market entry challenges arise primarily during execution and stabilization phases, particularly in relation to customer requirement interpretation, trust management, collaboration effectiveness, and organizational responsiveness. Based on these insights, the study develops a strategic framework integrating four interrelated dimensions: customer underlying logic alignment, hybrid collaboration mechanisms, process governance and execution discipline, and decision authority with organizational responsiveness. The proposed framework contributes to a more nuanced understanding of European B2B market entry as an embedded, execution-driven process and provides practical guidance for Chinese smart hardware SMEs operating under uncertainty and resource constraints |
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