NETWORK CLASSIFICATION ON THE BASIS OF FUNCTIONS THEY PERFORM AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH INTERNATIONALIZATION PROCESS OF SMEs IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES---exploratory research on Pakistan

The purpose of this study is to classify the networks according to functions they performed, especially scrutinize their structures. The research concentrates on the influence of these functional networks on the internationalization process of small and medium sized companies (SME) in developing countries. What are the different types of support being provided by network partners? What is the structure of the existing network? The research part is inductive, qualitative and based on case study. The study’s findings illustrate the subtleties of how various network partners interact with entrepreneurs to penetrate, integrate and extend their international markets. Networks can help entrepreneurs expose themselves to new opportunities, obtain knowledge, learn from experiences, and benefit from the synergistic effect of pooled resources. Another contribution of this paper is that it identifies structures of the functional networks, till date networks are classified on the basis of extent of support they provide, not on what support they provide, thus advancing the literature.