Catanzaro, Alexis <br/><br/>
Assisting Companies with Early and Rapid Internationalization: The Central Role Played by Networking 

 -  2013.<br/>							 
<br/><br/> 92 
<br/><br/> The traditional view of taking a company international is not adapted to the fast-paced globalization of SMEs (EIPR, Servantie 2010). Indeed, the literature on support for internationalization is based on traditional models of staged export development, the innovation models (Reid 1981; Czinkota 1982). However, early globalizing SMEs are companies that enter foreign markets intensively shortly after their creation. They use various modes of entry and rely heavily on their networks. As such, our questions focus on the international support offered by public actors for these firms and the importance placed on developing networks. We rely on eighteen interviews with French international business support entities and four with young firms that received support with entering foreign markets. From a thematic analysis a priori, our study highlights some recent initiatives implemented by governments and shows the major role played by networks in the process of supporting these firms, even though the literature on internationalization support completely ignores this dimension.