Network Ties and Opportunity Recognition in SME Internationalization in the Social Media Context

Abstract

This chapter aims to enhance our understanding of how internationalizing SMEs strengthen their network ties and how the strengths of those ties in the context of social media underpin opportunity realization in the foreign market. It adopts Granovetter’s dimensions of tie strength and its results reveal duration, intimacy, and reciprocity to be the dimensions on which the tactics adopted by the case firms to strengthen ties are based. Further, the analysis shows that the firms’ use of those tactics is rooted in their ability to use social media platforms to connect with, engage, coordinate, and collaborate with their online followers. The chapter contributes to research on social capital, opportunity recognition, the social media context to expand extant literature on interdisciplinary studies.