Internationalization of Cameroonian small and middle enterprises (SMEs): Myth or reality?

Abstract

This article comes within the framework of the management challenges thematic associated with the internationalization of Small and Middle Enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries. The objective that we continue in this work is to identify -on the basis of an empirical study- the strategies developed by SMEs in Cameroon in order to ensure their success abroad and the factors explaining the choice of these strategies.The results of the empirical study show that Cameroonian SMEs have been undergoing important changes in their management practice. They offer their customers products tailored to their needs, practise competitive prices and use distribution networks involving local and communication facilities tailored to the requirements of the environment. They also make efforts to improve the quality of products, adapt products to customer requirements, modernize production tools, and use the persons responsible for carrying out specific tasks and improving business costs. This contrasts with the existing literature on Cameroonian SMEs. The results also show that these changes in the behaviour of Cameroonian SMEs are due to the perception of changes in the purchasing behaviour of consumers and sales, environmental constraints, the experiences of the company and its resources. Key words: SME, internationalization, strategies, traditionalists, archaic.