Managing intangible assets in international contexts: An empirical analysis on Monza and Brianza SMES

The paper presents the results of a quantitative research on 886 Italian SMEs, which analyzes their internationalization strategies, the entry modes selected and the role played by intangible assets when operating abroad. The data were collected with CAWI method and processed with PCA and Cluster analysis methods. Different strategic approaches have emerged among clusters. Briefly, we point out that for the respondents the internationalization process is something consolidated and crucial for their growth, and this is true also for small firms. Intangible resources are key factors for them to keep competitive. A subset was done on the engineering industry: these SMEs are particularly proactive towards foreign markets, while the intangibles assets bring them added value.