João F Santanna-Filho

Ricardo J Rabelo
email: ricardo.rabelo@ufsc.br

Alexandra A Pereira-Klen

A Flexible Collaborative Innovation Model for SOA Services Providers

Keywords: Collaborative Innovation, Software Services, SOA

Software sector plays a very relevant role in current world economy. One of its characteristics is that they are mostly composed of SMEs. SMEs have been pushed to invest in innovation to keep competitive. Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is a recent and powerful ICT paradigm for more sustainable business models. A SOA product has many differences when compared to manufacturing sector. Besides that, SOA projects are however very complex, costly and risky. This can be mitigated if SMEs can innovate together. This paper presents an innovation model to assist groups of disparate SMEs to work together towards providing a SOA-based software product. The model is flexible and adaptive to every innovation project. Final considerations about the work are presented at the end.

Introduction

Software sector plays a very relevant role in current world economy as a means to face several of societal challenges [START_REF] Kramer | The Role of the Information and Communications Technology Sector in Expanding Economic Opportunity[END_REF]. However, being typically constituted by SMEs (Small and Medium sized Enterprises), most of them use to have many problems to be sustainable in the increasing competitive, globalized and innovation-driven market [START_REF] Munkongsujarit | Key success factors for open innovation intermediaries for SMEs: A case study of iTAP in Thailand[END_REF].

In the software sector, SOA has introduced a new outlook on system design, implementation and integration, and has been increasingly adopted (as services-based applications) by software developers and customers in general [START_REF] Zhiqiang | Credibility evaluation of SaaS tenants[END_REF]. In SOA, all system's features are regarded as independent and self-contained software modulescalled software services or just services -that jointly form a virtual single logical unit to create products and processes [START_REF] Papazoglou | Principles and Technology[END_REF].

However, SOA projects are complex, risky and costly, and its adoption impacts both customers and providers at many techno and non-techno dimensions [START_REF] Zhiqiang | Credibility evaluation of SaaS tenants[END_REF].

Software innovation is a key factor to increase SMEs competitiveness nowadays [START_REF] Rosenbusch | Is innovation always beneficial? A meta-analysis of the relationship between innovation and performance in SMEs[END_REF]. This paper exploits the premise that SOA providers SMEs can mitigate the mentioned barriers if they innovate together, collaboratively, towards developing a SOA-based solution/"product", although mostly in the form of prototypes. This has the potential to endow them to develop novel software solutions or gathering existing services and solutions from other companies to more effectively and flexibly attend to new and larger demands and wider markets. Such SMEs are here seen as software services providers (SSP), i.e. independent organization that owns and provides software services' implementations and descriptions as well as the respective technical and business support throughout a given SOA solution's life cycle [START_REF] Papazoglou | Principles and Technology[END_REF] [START_REF] Cancian | Collaborative business processes for enhancing partnerships among software services providers[END_REF].

In a previous work, authors have proposed an innovation model for SOA providers [START_REF] Santanna-Filho | An Innovation Model for Collaborative Networks of SOA-Based Software Providers[END_REF]. However, after further evaluations by some IT companies, it was realized that it could not support at all the required flexibility in the development path as each SOA product, as an innovation project, is unique and there is not a single model to follow.

A sort of innovation models has been presented in the literature. However, it was not found out anyone devoted to SOA/software sector and that consider software services' providers as autonomous SMEs that can participate in all phases of the innovation process, flexibly, collaboratively, as a network. This is also important as a SOA/software "product" is different than manufacturing, in terms of e.g. development stages and methodologies, supporting constructs, physical deployment, SLA treatment, software/services quality, and product contracting, access and usage [START_REF] Cancian | Collaborative business processes for enhancing partnerships among software services providers[END_REF]. This paper presents a newer model so as to cope with these requirements.

This work has been conducted as an essentially action-research, qualitative, deductive and applied research, strongly grounded on literature revision.

The paper is organized as follows. Section 1 has introduced the problem and research goals. Section 2 presents a brief review of the main basic foundations used in the proposed model. Section 3 presents an analysis of related works. Section 4 presents the proposed innovation model. Section 5 presents some results of a preliminary assessment of the model. Finally, section 6 presents final consideration about the research done so far and next steps.

Basic Concepts

Innovation Models. Literature presents several definitions of innovation. In this work we have considered it as "the implementation of a new or significantly improved product (good or service), or process, a new marketing method, or a new organizational method in business practices, workplace organization or external relations" [START_REF]Oslo Manual: guidelines for collecting and interpreting tech[END_REF].

An innovation model can be defined as the general conceptual construct that helps organizations to set up the innovation framework, to develop the innovation itself and to manage its progress and results (adapted from [START_REF] Tidd | Innovation Management[END_REF]). In general, it basically describes the main phases and processes necessary to carry out an innovation throughout (and typically via) a so-called funnel. These processes often comprise: generation and ideas selection; concept development; concept evaluation/selection; concept design and specification; implementation; and exploitation (adapted from [START_REF] Du Preez | A framework for managing the innovation process[END_REF]).

Innovation models have evolved from linear to open and network models, and can go back and forth through each stage. Evaluation actions (through gates) are normally added between each stage in way to restrict process' continuation. Processes can be executed sequentially or in parallel. Different types of actors can be involved along the innovation process with variable roles, being intra-organizational members or external partners, like ad-hoc business partners, supporting institutions and customers [START_REF] Rothwell | Successful industrial innovation: critical factors for the 1990s[END_REF].

Regarding this paper's goal, two innovation models are relevant. Open innovation model is based on a more ample collaborative environment where ideas both from the company and third parties are taken into account in some parts of the innovation process to add value to what has been conceived [START_REF] Chesbrough | Open innovation: The new imperative for creating and profiting from technology[END_REF]. The Network model considers an environment that is composed of a set of complementary and independent organizations that work on a given innovative idea regarding their core expertize [START_REF] Rycroft | Self-organizing innovation networks: implications for globalization[END_REF].

Collaborative Networks (CN). CN has arisen as a prominent paradigm to underpin strategic alliances that are focused on a more intense and fluid collaboration among autonomous organizations. Its vision relies on allowing organizations to keep focused on their skills and aggregating competencies and sharing resources with other organizations in order to meet businesses in a better way [START_REF] Camarinha-Matos | Methods and Tools for collaborative networked organizations[END_REF]. In order to support a higher agility in the formation of an innovation network, the concepts of two types of CN are used. A Virtual Organization (VO) can be characterized as a temporary alliance formed by autonomous and heterogeneous organizations that join their complementary core-competences and resources to better attend to a given demand, dismantling itself after all its legal obligations have been accomplished. VOs are originated from long-term alliances, the Virtual organization Breeding Environment (VBE). A VBE can be defined as a long-term association of organizations (companies, etc.) which have the willingness, enough preparedness and trust, and that share common principles to collaborate. It is assumed in this work that SSPs are members of a VBE-like alliance.

A collaborative innovation network is defined as"a long-term or temporary cluster of disparate and autonomous organizations with the willingness to collaborate towards exploiting together an individual or collective business vision by sharing ideas, knowledge, work, computing and services assets, as well as costs, risks and benefits, supported by ICT, and grounded on trust, preparedness, governance and IPR" [START_REF] Santanna-Filho | Leveraging Collaborative Innovation in SOA-based software providers networks[END_REF].

Service Oriented Architecture (SOA).

A SOA "product" typically comprises services of several natures, like business services, infrastructure, security, interoperability, orchestration, wrapped legacy systems' functionalities, etc., deployed and provided under different models [START_REF] Papazoglou | Principles and Technology[END_REF]. Web services are one of the most currently implementing technologies in SOA [START_REF] Papazoglou | Principles and Technology[END_REF].

Likewise traditional software engineering methodologies, SOA also has a lifecycle, covering a number of developing phases [START_REF] Papazoglou | Principles and Technology[END_REF], spanning from the analysis to delivery and management. However, these phases have to be dealt with in a different way as: i) the final result of a development process within an innovation initiative is usually a prototype, proof of concepts, etc., and where some existing software/services from SSPs can also be reused for the given purpose; i.e. it is a not a bundled product; ii) likewise typical SOA development processes, collaborative innovation involves disparate SSPs, having different practices, working cultures and sometimes noncommon objectives in terms of exploitation plans, iii) SOA is not a mere technological paradigm. Instead, it is an approach to help companies to better achieve its strategic goals. The model should provide means to bring the business perspective into the software innovation process; iv) besides supporting the provision of the services themselves, a SOA solution should look after its life cycle as a product as well as the general non-software services required to support its life cycle (e.g. local integration, ESB configuration, training, maintenance, etc.), i.e. the set of respective business models. In other words, SOA deeply involves management too, at several levels [START_REF] Lewis | A research agenda for service-oriented architecture (SOA): Maintenance and Evolution of Service-Oriented Systems[END_REF].

State of the Art Review

A literature review was carried out mainly via the SLR methodology, looking for articles that essentially tackled SOA, innovation, SMEs and networks. The search also comprised the CORDIS EU's research projects database. None works were found out that covered that at all. However, five papers and seven projects presented some similarities and have provided some useful insights for the proposed innovation model.

In terms of papers, in a resumed way: in [START_REF] Du Preez | A framework for managing the innovation process[END_REF] an innovation model for manufacturing products and related services have been devised, identifying the most important innovation processes, but without considering software services and a high dynamics in the network formation. In [START_REF] Berre | Service Innovation and Service Realisation with VDML and ServiceML[END_REF] a supporting language to express the value delivery and services chain for the general area of services was proposed. In [START_REF] Hoyer | Collaborative e-business process modelling: a holistic analysis framework focused on small and medium-sized enterprises[END_REF] authors stressed the obstacles for SMEs to collaborate towards jointly handling ebusiness transactions. In [START_REF] Belussi | A typology of networks: flexible and evolutionary firms[END_REF] authors proposed a framework and typology to understand the services innovation (but not of software) as a wider and multidimensional evolutionary process. In [START_REF] Li | Multi-model driven collaborative development platform for service-oriented e-Business systems[END_REF] a model-driven collaborative development platform for SOA-based e-business systems was proposed, but without considering innovation processes and networks of companies.

In terms of EU funded projects [22], BIVEE, ComVantage, IMAGINE, CoVES, Laboranova, PLENT and GloNet have tackled innovation at different perspectives and levels, but devoted to the manufacturing and general services sectors. Some of them consider open innovation, some don't. GloNet is the only one that has specifically applied the network innovation model using the virtual organization concept. None of these projects are devoted to software innovation or SOA areas though.

Proposed Innovation Model

The innovation process can be triggered on customer request or prospectively (by one or more partners) with the aim to attend foreseen new businesses or to improve a previous SOA products. Innovation outcomes can evolve and be exploited according to what was set up in the governance model. Cycles of developments, prototyping, etc. can be necessary until a result can be considered as ready for representing the initially envisaged SOA product. During the development partners can reuse their existing software services assets and also share them with other members [START_REF] Souza | Services Discovery as a Mean to Enhance Software Resources Sharing in Collaborative Networks[END_REF].

A set of premises are adopted to frame the envisaged innovation scenario: selected members may participate along the entire innovation process and associated software development cycle; this participation, stage of that, and decision power should respect the respective VO governance model; companies can/should enter to, operate in, and exit from the collaborative innovation network in different moments and number of times, both in the normal operation of the network and when problems, changes or severe conflicts take place; the innovation process involves creativity and some unpredictability [START_REF] Hwang | The Rainforest: the secret to building the next Silicon Valley[END_REF]. These premises were adapted to the envisaged collaborative innovation, flexible, and SME-and SOA-oriented scenario.

In order to cope with the desired flexibility, we brought inspiration from the Design Thinking method [START_REF] Mootee | Design Thinking for Strategic Innovation: What They Can't Teach You at Business or Design School[END_REF] and of its three innovation "spaces" (immersion, idealization and prototyping) and innovation stages. This was complemented and adapted (including processes' terminology) with the six classical processes suggested in [START_REF] Rothwell | Successful industrial innovation: critical factors for the 1990s[END_REF] regarding the specificities of the envisaged scenario. Besides considering the SOA development requirements along the whole innovation processes and spaces, one of the processes is devoted to software development itself. For that, we have adopted and adapted the processes proposed in [START_REF] Papazoglou | Principles and Technology[END_REF] [START_REF] Lewis | A research agenda for service-oriented architecture (SOA): Maintenance and Evolution of Service-Oriented Systems[END_REF]. Governance issues were regarded mainly considering the works of [START_REF] Rabelo | A Governance Reference Model for Virtual Enterprises[END_REF] [26] [START_REF] Gereffi | The governance of global value chains[END_REF]. Regarding the intrinsic nature of software development process, there is no simple progression, being often necessary to go back to earlier stages in order to overcome problems and need for revisions, in non-linear cycles. In other words, each innovation is treated as a unique initiative with no predefined paths.

The collaboration within a VO is carried out along four phases/ life cycle: Creation (starting phase, when it is created, partners are selected and the network is configured for the business); Operation (when the VO effectively runs, executing and managing the required activities and partners towards reaching its goals); Evolution (performed when problems take place during the Operation phase and that can hazard the VO success); and Dissolution (ending phase, where the VO finishes its activities) [START_REF] Camarinha-Matos | Methods and Tools for collaborative networked organizations[END_REF].

The Innovation Model

The proposed innovation model is to support the development of the SOA product, from the initial ideas exchange to its final delivery/deployment (Fig. 1). There are three spaces through which all the actions are carried out. The execution path within each space is flexible, i.e. each innovation initiative has particular requirements that determine its flow. Because of that, each process is seen as a kind of decoupled building block, which is linked with others to define the given innovation's path and the set of activities that have to be executed. This also means that a given space (and so some of its processes) can be revisited in cycles, or that some of the processes may not be performed. The whole team of companies, also considering the governance model associated to the given innovation initiative, is the responsible to set up the path on-the-fly and to make the necessary changes when needed. That is why there are no arrows in the model as the flow, cycles and sequence can vary from project to project. Briefly, the spaces and processes are as follows, and they have not to be understood as sequential steps.

First space: Ideas development space

-Idea Analysis: one or more companies from the VBE-like alliance can propose a joint innovation to the alliance's committee (or a kind of board if any), which will firstly evaluate the idea's potential. At this moment the idea is just generally presented. -Briefing: the idea is detailed presented, describing the necessary technologies, potential partnerships, estimated ROI, foreseen market, etc. -Consulting alliance board: process triggered in the case the innovation team needs some advisory about given issues. Although it can depend on how the governance model had been set up when the alliance was founded, the board usually does not have the power to cancel an initiative. It is usually formed by some selected members and can also involve external actors. The main goal here is to try to anticipate problems or to identify major issues and possible solutions before keeping going on. -VO configuration: formation of the VO that will develop the innovation. It usually includes subprocesses, like partners' search and selection, negotiations of several matters, the VO governance model setting up, the agreement on revenue mode, and IPR contracts signature. VO members may have different decision powers and internal top level committees can be created. This can also comprise the definition of performance indicators and metrics upon partners and the innovation process itself.

Second space: Solution development space

-Presentation: a more complete project plan and ICT technological analysis are conceived and the initially devised business model (if any) is refined. This is done by the involved companies' managers and can also be helped by some external expert actors, depending on the VO governance model specification. This process also includes discussions on issues like IPR and ownership, technology transfer, accounting, and knowledge gaps in the VO and in the alliance. -Software-service conceptualization: idealization and macro specification of the SOA solution, the required services to be composed, the expected end-to-end QoS, implementation technologies and access modes, SOA governance requirements, etc. -SOA solution development: it is equivalent to the software-service conceptualization process, but at a very detailed level. This includes services coding, integration among services and with their presentation and persistency layers, QoS testing and launching. It actually covers the SOA/services life cycle, including the particularities when the SOA project is to be developed by a group of companies [START_REF] Cancian | Collaborative business processes for enhancing partnerships among software services providers[END_REF] (see also section 2.3). -Consulting VO Board: process triggered in the case the innovation team needs some advisory about given issues, for example, when there are relevant changes in the project course and budget, the need for new members, etc.. This VO board can be composed of a predefined group of partners (and even external actors) or be settled following the VO governance model. -SOA solution commercial preparation: this last process makes the idealized innovation outcomes available for "use". In this process the VO members make agreements and sign legal contracts, which can comprise commercial support for future products and services, IPR, commercialization model, price policy, etc.

Third space: Solution delivery space -Local infrastructure provisioning: preparation and hiring of the required infrastructure for the SOA solution at the customer, third part, some specific member, or at the alliance's site regarding the agreed business model, contracts and QoS requirements. -Local deployment: making the physical deployment of the SOA solution at the customer's site once the infrastructure is ready. -External deployment: making the deployment (e.g. in a cloud) of the SOA solution. The third space may be not executed depending on the development results and even on the initiative's goals. For example, partners might only be interested in developing a mockup to better evaluate some concepts even though some potential customers might be invited to assess it. On the other hand, this space can be partially visited when e.g. such prototypes require some deployment in external clouds to evaluate end-to-end QoS. In general terms, a more human-driven approach tends to prevail in the first space, and a process-driven approach in the second and third ones as software development and delivery processes are usually much more structured. As such, in each space, there are different notions of: budget, time and human resources allocations; the need for research and even the involvement of research institutions; and the involvement of customers, experts and other supporting institutions (like IPR offices).

The nature of discussions, type of involved and required knowledge, information flow, type of responsibilities, etc., are different in each process and space. Regarding that, the innovation initiative behaves more like as the network type inside the first space and more like as the open innovation type in the second and third spaces. In terms of governance model, while the all-ring no-core and buyer-driven models [START_REF] Storper | Flexibility, hierarchy and regional development: The changing structure of industrial production systems[END_REF] are likely to prevail in the first space, this tends to be more core-ring with coordination firm and information-driven [START_REF] Gereffi | The governance of global value chains[END_REF] in the second and third spaces. Likewise in the traditional funnel-based models, where gates are used to decide about the continuation of the innovation project, the proposed model also has this equivalent concept. Actually, the innovation initiative can be interrupted, radically changed or just stored (for further usages) anytime in any of the spaces/processes. Performance indicators can be used to support this decision [START_REF] Rogers | The definition and measurement of innovation[END_REF], following the governance model. All processes can be audited and authorized knowledge can be stored, also following the governance model.

Functional Guidelines

Functional guidelines (FG) are supporting and reference constructs of the model. Members of the innovation initiative require methods, techniques and tools to help them executing processes' activities along the collaborative innovation regarding that SMEs' managers are often not much aware of which issues are more likely to be taken into account in each process. The model does not offer the concrete methods themselves. Instead, they should be chosen by each alliance or VO regarding existing practices, available financial resources, prepared people, etc. For example, if VO members realize that they indeed need some support in terms of (the FG) Project Management in a given process (or space), they can select the PMBOK methodology and the MS Project as the specific software tool after an analysis by the members.

FGs are actually associated -as an abstract reference -to each model's processes. For example, thanks to the FGs, partners can become aware that (FGs) actors' roles and network operation governance issues are important to have in mind in the VO configuration process.

There are ten main FGs. They were identified and categorized via an inductive method over a number of papers on innovation, [START_REF] Munkongsujarit | Key success factors for open innovation intermediaries for SMEs: A case study of iTAP in Thailand[END_REF] and [START_REF] Van Zyl | Process innovation imperative[END_REF] in more particular: Business level: FGs more related to the business and strategic aspects:

• Business Model management: foundations to help partners checking if innovation results are aligned with the defined business model and innovation goals. • Legal management: help partners checking if the innovation follows the required legal frameworks, contracts, IPRs and services ownerships. Operational level: support to the daily operation of innovation developments:

• Actors' roles: help partners checking if partners' rights, duties and roles settled in the alliances and VO's governance models are been followed. • Network operation: it is also related to the governance model, helping the observation of the power and structural elements of decision-making along the innovation process. • Project/Resources management: supports the issues related to manage the innovation process as a project, including associated e.g. financial, material and human resources. • Incentive systems: checking if the collaboration incentives are being correct applied to partners, also regarding general performance and adherence to the project's goals. • Performance indicators: selection and application of adequate indicators to measure and manage the performance of the innovation projects and partners. Policies level: FGs related to general relations among the VO, the VO with other actors (internal or external to the alliance), and with customers:

• Governance: rules to set up how the innovation will be managed, including partners' roles, responsibilities, boundaries of actions and actors autonomy. • Software process improvement: models, standards, specifications and methodologies to guarantee the use of more proper practices of software and services development. • Knowledge sharing: to guarantee that the necessary information and knowledge to support the innovation are properly organized and shared, that lessons are learned, etc. These FGs and their placement along the innovation process should however be seen as a reference. Regarding the particularities of the given innovation initiative in terms of e.g. existing culture, type of customers, current business models, and regional / national / international accounting and legal frameworks' requirements, FGs can support processes at different levels and can have different degrees of importance. Besides that, other FGs can be added to the model if needed by the particular case.

Preliminary Evaluation

This model was preliminary evaluated by a group of experts on SOA from a cluster of ICT/SOA providers placed in the South of Brazil. Actually, such users have been participating since the early stages of the model development, helping in the identification of requirements. A survey was prepared using the GQM method [START_REF] Basili | The Goal Question Metric Approach[END_REF] and the method was presented and a set of typical business cases were exemplified. In this first stage the questions of the survey focused on the processes and basic assumptions of the innovation model. The questions were made using the Likert scale and freeresponse questions. For all the experts, all processes were considered as necessary. For most of them the most critical processes are the Ideas Analysis and the VO Configuration, and the general SOA delivery space due to commercialization aspects as they are particular to customers and there can be several providers involved in. The experts called the attention to the governance issue and the complexity it can have, at the alliance, VO and SOA levels. About if software services providers in the near future tend to provide joint solutions in order to reduce costs and risks and increase the chances of better addressing the market, around 75% agreed on that. About if more and more ICT companies can become part of larger IT ecosystems in the near future to take advantage of complementarities and additional scale, around 85% agreed on that.

Final Considerations

This paper has presented current results of a research which aims at conceiving an innovation model devoted to support collaborative innovation among SMEs of software/ services providers related to SOA products. Collaborative innovation has the potential to leverage new degrees of sustainability for software & SOA SMEs. The proposed model has been developed in the light of Collaborative Networks foundations, enabling SMEs to work as a network, sharing assets, resources, costs, risks and benefits. A Virtual Organization (VO) represents the group of SMEs that jointly develop an innovation. This work has also identified the most important supporting constructs to consider throughout the innovation process and VO life cycle. Such constructs, called as functional guidelines, help companies to allocate resources and to be aware of the different levels of complexities along the collaborative innovation life cycle. It could be noticed that dealing with the envisaged scenario which combines collaborative innovation between disparate and independent SMEs, SOA and software sector particularities, flexibility in the processes, etc., is complex. Regarding it was not found in the literature an innovation model for this scenario, the proposed model should be taken as an initial contribution, even because it was not truly validated yet. As the model was conceived based on more generic and reference innovation models, we believed it may be also used in the traditional software sector. However, some activities inside of some processes should be adapted, in more particular the SOA solution development process and the software delivery.

Next short-terms steps of this research include new rounds of assessment and practical evaluation of the model towards its validation.

Fig. 1 .

 1 Fig. 1. The proposed Innovation Model. Source: authors.

Acknowledgements

This work has been partially supported by CNPq -The Brazilian Council for Research.


Teresa Taurino
email: teresa.taurino@polito.it

Evaluating Collaboration and Governance in SME Clusters

Keywords: SME clusters, graph representation, collaboration, management committee

ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.

Introduction

The need for strengthening cooperation among SMEs and improving networking has been perceived of interest by the European Commission [START_REF] Villa | Promoting SME cooperative aggregations: main criteria and contractual models[END_REF] and by individual countries [START_REF] Bruno | An ontology-based model for SME network contracts[END_REF] that promote, since some years, new organizational transformations of industrial-service systems into sustainable networks.

The industrial network systems, in Europe, rise from different needs and with different characteristics [START_REF] Villa | Strengthening SME network governance[END_REF][START_REF] Antonelli | Identifying and exploiting the collaboration factors inside SMEs networks[END_REF]. The Italian industrial districts and the UK clusters of SMEs have in common the characteristic to be agglomerations of SMEs from the same geographic area. The development of the network [START_REF] Taurino | Analysis of Potential Collaborations in SME Networks[END_REF] can be determined by the possibility to easily supply raw materials, the presence of a big local market and the availability of a high level of expertise in a specific manufactured sector. In France, it is common to find "Pole of Competitiveness" as well as the "Scientific Parks" in Greece. This kind of networks rise thanks to national or regional governments incentives to develop a common project. In other countries, like Germany, the SME networks rise around a leading firms that have the characteristics to pull all the SMEs in the market. The promotion of the clustering or networking of companies can be reached according different routes:

• stimulated by local training centers that helps the enterprises to create an organic product service system in order to meet better the demand of the labor market; • driven by the need to share the resources and to collaborate in order to face the adverse market environments; • the local public administration, or agencies/associations for industrial and commercial development asks SMEs to strengthen cooperation, often during times of crisis. "A product service-system" is composed by products, services, resources, buildings and personnel that continuously work to be more competitive, to satisfy the needs of the market by paying attention to the environmental impact with less effort with than a traditional business models" [START_REF] Goedkoop | Product Service-Systems, ecological and economic basics[END_REF]. Despite the pressure towards cooperation, many SME managers have maintained their individualistic position: this has reflected in many dramatic crises and closures of small businesses, especially in recent years [START_REF] Tomlinson | The nature of SME co-operation and innovation: A multi-scalar and multi-dimensional analysis[END_REF][START_REF] Antonelli | Pattern Recognition from Data Collection on Industry Networks[END_REF]. Consequently the problem discussed in the proposed paper is intended to address the following questions: How does a manager of an SME assess whether an existing cluster could be a "friendly environment" for his small business? What organizational characteristics of the cluster have to be analyzed? Which network structures appear to be preferable such as the SME would fit into the existing network with mutual profit? In order for the manager to look for answers to these questions, the proposed work establishes a Cluster Reference Framework (CRF) structured in three dimensions:

• the types of SME clusters, modeled in terms of standard networked graphs, such to allow an easy view of the networked links connecting SMEs; • the types of management committee, that should assure cooperation among the SMEs together; • the different ways of creating a network of small businesses, depending on whether or not there is a promoter or an independent will. Even considering only these three dimensions, they offer criteria for analysis and evaluation of a SME cluster ("marginal analysis"). However, considering them in pairs, other points of view for the analysis are obtained: a) taking into account the pair <network type; type of committee> one can get information about organizational transformation applicable to the network; b) from the analysis of the pair <network type; procedures for setting up the network> design tips arise; c) in addition, an analysis of the pair <type of committee; how to build> can give information on sustainability of the network. The paper will motivate in detail the CRF, and show its practical utilization by a SME manager. To this aim, the paper is organized as follows. The introduction of a model of a SME cluster, by making evidence to the two components above mentioned, namely types of networks connecting the partner SMEs together, and types of cluster management is in Section 2. Depending on these two components, a classification of the different SME clusters can be standardized. Section 3 will illustrate a threedimensional framework, namely the mentioned Cluster Reference Framework -CRF, where the types of networks, the types of management organizations and the different ways to create a network of small enterprises will be respectively referred to each dimension. The potential practical utilization of the proposed framework will be discussed by showing how the presented framework can support a specific analysis of a SME manager. Section 3 will also illustrated a preliminary application of the CRF, by analyzing the three types of dimensions for a number of SME clusters, based on data collected during the European project CODESNET and stored in the CODESNET archive. The European project CODESNET (COllaborative DEmand and Supply NETwork) aimed to create a virtual environment to promote the development of SME network. During the project, a huge number of data and information concerning more than 100 SME networks have been collected. CODESNET has relied on the contribution from both enterprises and academia partners since this synergy is considered a strong point in order to guarantee stability in a network organization.

Modeling a SME Cluster

Three important aspects must be taken into account in the modeling of SME networks [START_REF] Taurino | An insight into Innovation Patterns of Industrial Districts[END_REF][START_REF] Markusen | Sticky Places in Slippery Space: A Typology of Industrial Districts[END_REF]:

• the management of the network in terms of functionalities that can assure efficiency, effectiveness and economy in all the SMEs belonging to the network; • the structure of the connections among the SMEs, that means the type of their relationships;

• the reasons at the origin of the aggregation of multiple companies in a common network.

Main Functions and Management Organization of a SME Cluster

The management organization of a SME cluster can be represented by a "functional scheme" that represents the main functionalities and that shows how the committee of the cluster can receive contributions from the partners of the cluster, can generate products and financial strategies and can translate strategies into action plans able to satisfy customers orders by using the cluster structure to produce. In the next Fig. 1, the functional scheme is presented: "A" denotes the operations control loop; "B", the performance evaluation loop; "C", the finance management loop; "D", the partners' interactions management loop.

In practice, the real application of all these management functions depends on the type of cluster committee. Consequently, it can be stated that the presence of a particular type of committee characterizes a SME network defining the robustness and the possibility of a real future development. With reference to the cluster analysed in the project CODESNET, you can recognize the following types of the Management Committee:

• Industrial management committee, i.e. a committee composed by the top managers of the most important enterprises included in the cluster: among the managers, a coordinator is usually nominated. This is the case of small and mid-size enterprises operating in the manufacturing sector, as automotive, aerospace, electronic ones; in this organization, all the management functions of Fig. 1 are applied. • Administration management committee, i.e. a committee composed by administrative directors or, more generally, by administrative staff, of some companies in the cluster, with the task of monitoring costs and revenues on behalf of individual companies, and of reporting to external funders (function C in Fig. 1). This can be the case of clusters having a leading enterprise, whose aim is to monitor financial flows without completely removing autonomy to other SME of the cluster. • Marketing-oriented committee, i.e. a committee made up of directors of marketing for some companies, with the task of managing specific marketing initiatives, such as exhibitions, promotional campaigns or advertising (function A in Fig. 1). This is the case of SME clusters of the jewelry sector. • Political committee, i.e. a committee composed by representatives of the municipalities where the SMEs belonging to the cluster are located; this is the case of some clusters operating in the agro-food sector, as in production of wine. A political committee is a committee that can implement at most promotional functions, but does not have operational duties. • No committee, i.e. a form of weak interaction, partly marketing -oriented and partly characterized by a political and social nature, with the sole purpose to create a market to the SMEs.

Models of the Network of SMEs

A network of SME can be easily modelled by a graph G=(V,E), where V is the set of vertices and E is the set of edges or arcs. Each vertex corresponds to a SME of the cluster and the edges correspond to the links among the SMEs.

The SME-to-SME connections can have different characteristics:

1. can represent the connection between a client and a supplier and in this case the links is mainly characterized by the flow of parts from a SME to another; 2. can be the exchange of information and from one SME to another into a cluster information system; 3. can be the transfer of orders either between SMEs or between a SME and a common centre, as part of a cluster management organization. In this analysis of manufacturing SME networks, we will refer to a graph representing the exchange of material among SME so the links among SMEs are characterized by a physical exchange of parts or materials. Depending on the type of production flows connections of SMEs, a classification of the network layout has been defined, by identifying four network graphs illustrated in the next Fig. 2. The boundaries of the network are represented by a rectangle; the small and medium enterprises are represented by numbered circles and the edges are indicated with oriented arc. S and D represent, respectively, the Source and the Destination node. In Fig. 2 a Job Shop (JS) is represented [START_REF] Coe | A Hybrid Agglomeration? The Development of a Satellite-Marshallian Industrial District in Vancouver's Film Industry[END_REF][START_REF] Bogataj | Efficient location of industrial activity cells in a global supply chain[END_REF]. This network's configuration is characterized by a set of SMEs able to provide and receive material from the SMEs they are linked to and the presence of circle is allowed. In this first type of configuration, the growth of the network is determined basically by the geographical proximity and the similarity in the production. The "supply chain" or, more generally, "multi-stage supply chain" [START_REF] Villa | Supporting collaboration in European Industrial Districts -The CODESNET approach[END_REF] can be recognized as a second type of SMEs aggregation. In this kind of network, the relationships among the enterprises are of client/supplier along the production chain that ends with an important leading enterprise whose brand is known all over the world. The structure, in terms of graph, of a Multi-stage Supply Chain (SC) is represented in Fig 2b : arrows represent the connections between two SME typically characterized by an exchange of material or components. In this network configuration cycles are not allowed. Fig. 2c gives a simplified illustration of the Hub-and-Spoke (HS) type. The main characteristic of the Hub-and-Spoke network is the presence of a leading firms to whom almost all the other SMEs are connected. It is possible to recognize this type of network since it does not allow cycles and the node corresponding to the leading firm has a high number of entering edges with respect to the other nodes. The last type of aggregation proposed has less ruled interactions that permit to recognize the aggregation. This type of networks is mainly exploited by high-tech production and/or service supply where the nature of such aggregation is mainly oriented to R&D. This configuration is named Scientific Park (SP) [START_REF] Boja | Clusters Models, Factors and Characteristics[END_REF][START_REF] Villa | Cooperative agreements for SME network organization[END_REF] and, in terms of graph representation, the nodes can be considered as inserted in a pre-existing with very flexible and more informal connections. To differentiate these potential connections from the classical ones, we represent them as switches on the graph edges. An example of the Scientific Park network is shown in Fig. 2d. The typical feature of a Scientific Park is that each node is connected directly with the source and the destination nodes due to the pre-existing network. Furthermore, all possible edges between nodes can be activated or interrupted at any time. The exchanges between such companies do not concern materials or components but rather exchanges of information (knowledge, data, models, ideas) and services, thanks to the underlying network of partners specialized in ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and support to the innovative activities.

Models of a SME Cluster Dimension Dynamics

The differences in the creation and in the structure of the enterprise clusters give rise to different types of SME networks, as it has been presented in [START_REF] Villa | Cooperative agreements for SME network organization[END_REF][START_REF] Villa | SME networks and clusters: An approach to their performance evaluation[END_REF] where an overview of clusters in some European countries has been illustrated. In some countries, like Italy, Germany and UK, the enterprises networks have raised in an autonomous way, pushed either by the companies themselves, or by industry organizations. In countries like France and Greece, the national or local governments have promoted investment programs to push the aggregation of SME into networks. The free aggregation of SMEs can occur either in a territory with no boundaries (if there are no specific requirements from logistics needs of the production) or in a limited small geographical area, due to the necessity of a strict collaboration and a strong sharing of resources and information or the exchange of parts or materials. The creation of a collaborative network can be autonomously induced by the strategic vision of the managers of the SMEs in order to plan and manage their production activity. This type of aggregation is named Autonomous or Marshallian and two particular models of SMEs networks prevail: Supply Chain (SC) and Job-Shops (JS). In the JS network, since the circles are allowed, each SME can both provide and receive products/services from the others. The SC network is characterized by the presence of a chain composed by two or more stages with a number of parallel SMEs which provide products/services to the SMEs in the following stage. When firms of different size and different strength in the final product market agree to activate together connections depending on one (or few) leading SME we can speak of Huband-Spoke networks. In the HS networks one or two leading firms push to create a network of suppliers in order to drag the production and increase their performance and their position on the local and external market. The aggregation of the Scientific Parks is driven by a public body through a collaborative project founded by national, international or private bodies. The SPs are characterized by high skills, high technologies, and high innovation, requiring a high sharing of knowledge, resources, information, and skills. The aggregation approach cannot be based on autonomy of SMEs: large investments are required as well as an accurate selection of both SMEs and the personnel of high qualification to be employed.

The Cluster Reference Framework -CRF

The three main aspects of a SME cluster model, namely SME network type, management organization, and cluster creation, define three dimensions of a frame as in Fig. 3. This frame can be seen as a three-dimensional matrix, each internal box is associated to a triplet: <network type; type of Management body; network's agreement>. Said triplet specifies a SME cluster type. In each box, the names of some SME clusters (among the ones stored in the CODESNET archive) can be located: then, each box offers to a SME manager a set of preliminary information for evaluating if joining the considered network type could be of some interest for his/her SME. The real utilization of the schematic model of Fig. 3 can be realized by considering some Italian industrial districts. In the next Table 1 a set of data of Industrial networks belonging to the CODESNET archive are given.

Example of Application

An example of specific analysis has been done by referring to the manufacturing sector, with attention to districts producing shoes. The manager of a SME of this same sector, aiming to join a district, has at disposal the "archive" illustrated in Fig. 3. He will use the archive boxes tagged with the word "product = shoes", thus obtaining the following Table 1. The selected boxes, however, are referred to different triplets, and then the manager receives the following information: a) Fermo's District:

• Network type = Hub and Spoke;

• Management body = none (existence of leading firms);

• Network creation = free aggregation. b) Vigevano's District and Lucca's District:

• Network type = Supply Chain;

• Management body = none (no leading firms in the chain stages);

• Network creation = free aggregation. c) Verona's District and San Mauro Pascoli's District:

• Network type = Supply Chain;

• Management body =Marketing-oriented committee;

• Network creation = free aggregation. In summary, manager asking for joining suggestions can get:

• A common information: all districts aim to accept new partners, being born from "free aggregation". • Specific information: make a choice between a cluster where a leader will plan the future and a cluster where, at most, common marketing strategies could be plan together. Depending on the manager's desire to maintain large autonomy and to be supported, the "archive" of Fig. 3 can provide immediate, even if preliminary, suggestions.

Conclusions

The analysis of a number of industrial districts, collected during the development of the EU CODESNET project and his evolution in national research programs, gave rise to a complete model of an industrial SME cluster, with three main complementary aspects (and model components): SME network cluster, management committee, and cluster creation dynamics. A graphical three dimensional representation of the cluster model has been presented. This same representation has to be interpreted as an "archive" of cluster data/information. This archive is useful tool for a manager who aims to join a cluster, but wants to take its decision based on a sufficient view of the cluster main characteristics. In summary, manager asking for joining a district can get the following suggestions:

As general information: all districts aim to accept new partners, if they have been born from "free aggregation"; As specific information: make a choice between a cluster where a leader will plan the future and a cluster where, at most, common marketing strategies could be planned together. The two above suggestions (that could be improved by taking into account of the district management body as well as of the district dimensions, as number of components and number of connections among them) can help the manager to take a decision, even if preliminary but sufficient to give him main lines to contact the district representative and negotiate for a potential joining agreement.

Fig. 1 .

 1 Fig. 1. Schematic model of an industrial SME network.

Fig. 2 .

 2 Fig. 2. Graph representation of the four network types.

Fig. 3 .

 3 Fig. 3. Schematic model of CRF.

Table 1 .

 1 Selected Industrial District from the CODESNET "archive".

	District Name	Network Type Management body	Network creation
	Fermo	HS	None -existence of leading firms Free aggregation
	Vigevano	SC	None -No leading firms	Free aggregation
	Lucca	SC	None -No leading firms	Free aggregation
	Verona	SC	Marketing-oriented committee	Free aggregation
	San Mauro Pascoli SC	Marketing-oriented committee	Free aggregation


Eric Costa
email: eric.m.costa@inesctec.pt

António Lucas Soares

Jorge Pinho De Sousa

A New Insight in the SMEs Internationalization Process

Keywords: internationalization, collaborative networks, decision-making, systematic literature review, interviews

There is growing evidence that internationalization of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) has become a priority to gain competitive advantage. However, SMEs still face major challenges and obstacles during these processes. This paper proposes a model of collaborative networks for internationalization processes of SMEs, mediated by industrial enterprise associations (IEAs), in order to improve decision-making processes. First, a systematic literature review (SLR) was performed to study the impact that networks and collaboration have in the decision-making process of internationalization. Then, the model was developed using adequate information and knowledge management tools. Finally, to understand the relevance of the proposed model, data were gathered through interviews to key persons in companies of the IT/electronics and textile industries. Results showed that collaborative networks can represent an important facilitator in the internationalization of SMEs and that IEAs can have a fundamental role for promoting collaboration in this domain, between associated SMEs.

Introduction

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the economy in most of the countries around the world, and they can significantly contribute to restoring growth by entering into new market opportunities provided by developed and emerging economies. There is growing evidence that internationalization of SMEs has become a key requirement to gain competitive advantage [START_REF] Schweizer | The internationalization process of SMEs: A muddling-through process[END_REF][START_REF] Dutot | Information management for the internationalization of SMEs: An exploratory study based on a strategic alignment perspective[END_REF]. Some of the major motivations for going international are profit and growth goals, competitive pressures, foreign market opportunities, expansion opportunities, and domestic saturation [START_REF] Andersson | International entrepreneurship, born globals and the theory of effectuation[END_REF][START_REF] Hutchinson | Internationalization Motives and Facilitating Factors : Qualitative Evidence[END_REF][START_REF] Kiss | Risk bias and the link between motivation and new venture post-entry international growth[END_REF]. However, SMEs still depend largely on their domestic markets and face challenges and obstacles during their internationalization processes. Among all difficulties in managing internationalization processes, SMEs face significant barriers related to the lack of capital, lack of adequate information and knowledge, and lack of adequate state support [START_REF] London | Multi-Market Industrial Organizational Economic Models for the Internationalization Process by Small and Medium Enterprise Construction Design Service Firms[END_REF][START_REF] Djordjevic | How companies enter international markets: Presentation and analysis of the empirical research[END_REF].

Information and knowledge are seen as key resources for facilitating SMEs international expansion, reducing risk and uncertainty, and increasing creativity in decision-making [START_REF] Child | Decision mode, information and network attachment in the internationalization of SMEs: A configurational and contingency analysis[END_REF]. From another perspective, it has been found that collaborative networks can represent an important facilitator in the internationalization of SMEs, particularly by nurturing knowledge sharing [START_REF] Musteen | The influence of international networks on internationalization speed and performance: A study of Czech SMEs[END_REF]. However, there is clearly a lack of comprehensive and systematic studies investigating how SMEs can access, organize and use the information generated in a collaborative network context, and how they can collaboratively convert this information into knowledge to support decisionmaking in internationalization processes.

This paper proposes a model of collaborative networks for internationalization processes of SMEs, designed to improve decisions in those processes and to increase their export propensity. A systematic literature review (SLR) was first performed to study the impact that networks and collaboration have in decision-making processes of SMEs internationalization. Then, from the results obtained with the SLR and following some suggestions for future research in the literature, the model of collaborative networks for internationalization was constructed. The main distinguishing factors of this approach are that the model considers Portuguese industrial enterprise associations (IEAs) as the context for collaboration and is based on state-of-the-art information and knowledge management models, to significantly improve collaborative decision making in internationalization processes. To have a first feeling on the relevance of the model, three interviews were performed with companies with experience in these processes.

This study contributes to the body of knowledge in internationalization by providing a new model for SMEs to undertake internationalization processes in collaborative networks. Based on the feedback from experienced companies, the authors believe that the model can bring significant benefits for SMEs to internationalize, benefiting from the valuable resources that networks can bring for the process, and somehow overcoming the barriers of lack of adequate information and knowledge in decision-making. Moreover this work will hopefully represent an additional opportunity for further research and discussion in international scientific meetings.

Research Methodology

The research methodology applied for this study was composed by three parts: (i) systematic literature review (SLR); (ii) model proposal; (iii) interviews.

Systematic Literature Review

A SLR was used to study the impact that networks and collaboration have in internationalization decision-making processes. The intention of using a SLR was to move away from traditional narrative or descriptive reviews of the literature, creating a basic framework for a more in-depth analysis of the literature by adopting a replicable, scientific and transparent process [START_REF] Tranfield | Towards a Methodology for Developing Evidence-Informed Management Knowledge by Means of Systematic Review[END_REF]. The underlying literature review methodology followed a five-step approach, as proposed by [START_REF] Denyer | Producing a systematic review[END_REF][START_REF] Wong | Towards a theory of supply chain alignment enablers: a systematic literature review[END_REF]:

Step 1: Questions formulation. The research questions to be answered by this work were defined using the CIMO model [START_REF] Denyer | Producing a systematic review[END_REF] (Context, Intervention, Mechanisms, and Outcomes) and are the following: how do networks and collaboration influence the internationalization process of SMEs? how do networks and collaboration affect the decision-making process?

Step 2: Locating studies. Two databases were used: Web of Science and Scopus. These databases cover a significant proportion of the published material on internationalization, including the most relevant peer-reviewed journals on the area. The search criteria used was: (decision* OR "decision making" OR "decision-making") Step 4: Analysis and synthesis. The 16 papers obtained in this way were analyzed more in detail to extract and store information and cross tabulating the studies, in order to identify a set of key issues. For this purpose, a data extraction form in Excel was created.

Step 5: Reporting and using the results. Section 3 of this paper formally presents the SLR results.

Model Proposal

With the results of the SLR, and based on the future directions for research proposed in the literature and on the authors' knowledge and experience, a model is proposed in this paper (Section 4). This model is expected to support the internationalization processes of SMEs in collaborative networks contexts. The model is focused in IEAs addressed as collaborative networks for internationalization. SMEs operating in industrial sectors with more uncertain environments might have larger information requirements than other SMEs operating with less amounts of uncertainty [START_REF] Dutot | Information management for the internationalization of SMEs: An exploratory study based on a strategic alignment perspective[END_REF]. Thus, two types of industrial sectors will be considered as the target for implementation of the model: (i) the IT and electronics industry that operates in a quite uncertain context; (ii) the textile industry where more certain and foreseen environments are expected.

Interviews

To understand the relevance of the proposed model and to validate the idea before starting to apply it in a real world context, some interviews were performed, this providing a first feedback from potentially interested companies.

Semi-structured interviews were carried out with three Portuguese companies (one from the IT/electronics industry and two from the textile industry) in order to discuss previous internationalization experiences and to evaluate the role of IEAs in those processes. Personnel with experience in internationalization processes were interviewed, with an average duration of each interview of approximately one hour. A semi-structured interview guide was used and all conversations were recorded and transcribed. The open-ended style of interview allowed the respondents to describe their experiences and ideas freely, without being limited to standardized categories [START_REF] Hutchinson | Internationalization Motives and Facilitating Factors : Qualitative Evidence[END_REF]. Section 5 describes the main findings of the performed interviews. The knowledge, experience, information and learning from business partners, network relationships and collaborations, are resources that can be very useful for making decisions in internationalization, and which have influence on first entries into markets and on selection of host countries. Table 3 presents the reasons for establishing collaborative networks in internationalization processes. From the SLR results, it has been found that networks can represent an important facilitator in the internationalization of SMEs, in quite different ways such as: (i) providing important channels of information and knowledge to decision-makers; (ii) influencing the approach adopted by SMEs' leaders; (iii) influencing decisions on foreign market selection and entry mode; (iv) allowing to increase international commitment; (v) overcoming resource constraints. In despite of this, there is a lack of comprehensive and systematic studies investigating how SMEs can access, organize and use the information generated in a collaborative network context, and how they can collaboratively convert this information into knowledge to support decisionmaking in internationalization processes. This is in line with some findings and future directions for research, as proposed in the literature:

• there is a lack of comprehensive and systematic studies investigating how SMEs can acquire and use information generated in a network context, to achieve higher levels of internationalization [START_REF] Dutot | Information management for the internationalization of SMEs: An exploratory study based on a strategic alignment perspective[END_REF][START_REF] Child | Decision mode, information and network attachment in the internationalization of SMEs: A configurational and contingency analysis[END_REF]; • only limited studies show results on how SMEs can convert information into knowledge, for decision-making towards internationalization [START_REF] Nguyen | Information internalisation and internationalisation-Evidence from Vietnamese firms[END_REF][START_REF] Fletcher | Knowledge acquisition for the internationalization of the smaller firm: Content and sources[END_REF]; • there has been a limited development of methods and techniques to improve the decision-making process of internationalization of SMEs [START_REF] Schweizer | The internationalization process of SMEs: A muddling-through process[END_REF]; • most of the literature on internationalization of SMEs is centered on companies acting in isolation, with only few studies considering collaborative internationalization processes [START_REF] Hong | Internationalization, product development and performance outcomes: A comparative study of 10 countries[END_REF].

A Model of Collaborative Networks for Internationalization

A model of collaborative networks for internationalization processes of SMEs is proposed in this paper, as a way to address some of the issues and future directions for research identified in the literature. The objective of creating this model was to contribute to the internationalization of SMEs, mainly in what concerns the associated decision-making processes. The general hypothesis is that information models and technologies, by providing information collected from heterogeneous sources and mediated by favorable collaborative contexts, positively influence the decisionmaking capabilities in the internationalization processes of SMEs. This paper is the first formal presentation of the model, providing a brief description of the approach and methods, as well as some of the expected impacts.

Introduction and Baseline

Research. Managing effectively the information in internationalization decision processes is, for many companies, a critical success factor that has been addressed in the literature, in different ways and perspectives. It has in fact been shown that information is crucial for more rational decision-making [START_REF] Child | Decision mode, information and network attachment in the internationalization of SMEs: A configurational and contingency analysis[END_REF], to manage international complexity and ambiguity [START_REF] Hsu | Internationalization and firm performance of SMEs: The moderating effects of CEO attributes[END_REF], to reduce risks and uncertainty [START_REF] Nguyen | Information internalisation and internationalisation-Evidence from Vietnamese firms[END_REF], and to stimulate awareness of foreign market opportunities [START_REF] Zhou | Internationalization and the performance of born-global SMEs: the mediating role of social networks[END_REF].

There are also studies on the importance of the role of information in the creation of internationalization knowledge [START_REF] Casillas | Learning, unlearning and internationalisation: Evidence from the pre-export phase[END_REF][START_REF] Saarenketo | Linking knowledge and internationalization in small and medium-sized enterprises in the ICT sector[END_REF], as well as on demonstrating that cooperation and networks are facilitators of internationalization [START_REF] Ibeh | The network perspective and the internationalization of small and medium sized software firms from Syria[END_REF][START_REF] Ciravegna | Country of origin and network effects on internationalization: A comparative study of SMEs from an emerging and developed economy[END_REF]. In spite of this, surprisingly there is a clear lack of exploratory studies on how state-of-the-art information management models and technologies can be used to improve collaborative decision-making in the internationalization of SMEs. Moreover, there is no sound reporting on the benefits of systematic networking and collaboration in internationalization.

Approach and Methods. The model was designed to be general, but it was instantiated and assessed by involving two Portuguese IEAs that contribute to the internationalization process of SMEs. IEAs can play a facilitating role to promote collaboration between SMEs, providing services and information to support the internationalization of their associates. The model will allow IEAs to assist SMEs in accessing and interpreting information, decide on the best internationalization strategy, and join competencies with other SMEs, to maximize the success of their internationalization processes. Actively involving IEAs in SMEs internationalization processes is, to the best of the authors' knowledge, an innovative contribution of the proposed model. The model will encompass novel information management tools, in order to support collaborative internationalization decisions and processes. These information management models and technologies will allow SMEs to search, collect, integrate, organize and visualize information from different internet accessible, heterogeneous public and private sources, to be used and adapted in the different contexts where they are embedded. The concept of "information internalization" will be considered in the development of the solution. As information and knowledge are complementary and transformable, SMEs should find ways to transform information into knowledge in order to enhance the internationalization process. Information internalization is the process of absorbing both tacit and explicit information into the organization and translating it into knowledge, to be then applied with some specific purpose [START_REF] Knight | Information internalisation in internationalising the firm[END_REF]. Therefore, in this model, a model will be developed in the context of firms acting in collaboration, exploring the following modes of information internalization: socialization, combination, externalization, and internalization [START_REF] Nonaka | The knowledge-creating company: How Japanese companies create the dynamics of innovation[END_REF]. Additionally, to improve the effectiveness of decision-making in the internationalization of SMEs, a collaborative decision support system (DSS) will be designed, based on multi-criteria decision-making approaches and on business intelligence. This DSS will support activities related to market selection, choice of partners and resources, assessment of risks and negotiation. The "business intelligence" concept will also be used for gathering, analyzing and distributing information, and also to support the strategic decision-making process [START_REF] Rouhani | Evaluation model of business intelligence for enterprise systems using fuzzy TOPSIS[END_REF]. Figure 1 presents the rationale of the model. According to some future research directions identified by [START_REF] Dutot | Information management for the internationalization of SMEs: An exploratory study based on a strategic alignment perspective[END_REF][START_REF] Child | Decision mode, information and network attachment in the internationalization of SMEs: A configurational and contingency analysis[END_REF][START_REF] Fletcher | Knowledge acquisition for the internationalization of the smaller firm: Content and sources[END_REF], there is a need to explore how different contexts would result in different information and knowledge requirements for SMEs to internationalize. Dutot et al. [START_REF] Dutot | Information management for the internationalization of SMEs: An exploratory study based on a strategic alignment perspective[END_REF] stated that SMEs in industries operating in more uncertain environments might have greater information requirements than SMEs in more "deterministic" environments. Therefore, to test and validate the model, the developed solutions will be applied to case studies addressing SMEs of two different types of industrial sectors: (i) the IT and electronics industry, which operates in a quite uncertain context; and (ii) the textile industry, where more certain and foreseen environments are expected.

The strength of the model depicted in Figure 1 lies in the combination of three valuable components for supporting enterprise networks: information, decisionmaking and collaboration. The rationale of the model use is a set of SMEs joining efforts through networks creation and collaborative process management services, to access high value added information and knowledge about internationalization conditions and to perform collaborative decision-making on the development of internationalization strategies. All these processes are facilitated by IEAs.

Expected Impacts. The main expected results and impacts of the model are:

• a description and explanation of the factors influencing the management of information that is relevant for internationalization purposes; • a comprehensive characterization of the decision processes involved in the internationalization of SMEs and on how the IEA influences those processes; • a description and explanation of the factors influencing the implementation of collaborative processes for internationalization; • the identification and characterization of the information sources that contribute to market knowledge and experiential (network, cultural, entrepreneur) knowledge; • an informational model adaptable to the processes of internationalization in collaboration, mediated by IEAs; • an analytic solution for the adaptation of the informational model according to the type and mode of a specific internationalization process; • a collaborative decision support model to explore the information model and the internationalization knowledge.

Interviews

To understand the relevance of the proposed model, three interviews were performed with managers and persons responsible for internationalization decisions in companies from the IT/electronics industry and from the textile industry. The analysis of the interviews was divided in two parts: (i) the internationalization experience and the role of information and collaboration; (ii) the context provided by IEAs as collaborative networks.

Internationalization Experience and the Role of Information/Collaboration. All the interviewed companies have a lot of experience in internationalization processes. One of the interviewees stated that, to achieve a successful internationalization, the company should first gain experience and be well established in the home market, thus becoming ready for launching innovation products or services in foreign markets. All interviewees agreed that internationalization is a hard and expensive process, for which a company needs to be well prepared in advance. Financial capacity was therefore considered crucial since, at an initial stage, internationalization involves frequent travelling to the target countries, to analyze market conditions, understand legislation, and participate in fairs. Nevertheless, they pointed out internationalization as being essential for the growth of their companies.

Regarding the issue of sharing information with other companies or entities, the interviewees stated this is an interesting, viable and useful activity. They considered that companies might be willing to share information and knowledge about previous internationalization experiences, with companies wanting to start to internationalize in particular to markets where some experience has already been accumulated. This will provide a clear idea about the internationalization process, the problems and barriers to face, and all the particular aspects of some specific target countries.

In what concerns the involvement with other companies in collaborative networks, some believe that the collaboration of experienced companies with less experienced companies in internationalization projects, will increase their competitiveness, visibility and presence in the market. Moreover, as SMEs face more difficulties in internationalization processes, they could create joint ventures with each other to increase their chances of success. Yet, the interviewees of one of the companies suggested that, to collaborate, companies should be of equal size and have common interests, since companies with a different economic power will probably have different requirements and objectives, with different approaches, values and resources. They have also stated that in a process of internationalization, when approaching a new market, there should be a budget, a strategy and an outflow of resources to be adequately matched for companies to collaborate.

The Context of IEAs as Collaborative Networks. The three studied companies are associates of IEAs in their industrial sectors. All the companies agreed that IEAs should be more active in supporting their associates, as they can surely have an important role for the development of better internationalization processes. One interviewee considered that IEAs can act as disseminators of information and competences of their associates, thus promoting the creation of collaborations and of good synergies between companies. This would be particularly useful in launching internationalization processes together, as well as in exploring and creating new international opportunities.

One of the main problems faced by these companies is the lack of information and knowledge about certain markets. The interviewees consider that, in a first stage, IEAs may play an interesting role as "information aggregators", analyzing different markets and pointing paths to follow, and showing the reality of each market. At a later stage, IEAs may promote discussion and meetings between their associates, seeking the alignment of strategic objectives and the set-up of joint initiatives and investments in a given market, thus sharing costs and risks.

Conclusion

This study aims at contributing to the internationalization processes of SMEs, by presenting a new perspective on these processes and a new model of collaborative networks for internationalization. The next paragraphs present the main conclusions of the work, as well as some suggestions for further research possibly to be developed in future scientific meetings and conferences in this area.

From the results of the performed SLR, it has been found that collaborative networks can represent an important facilitator in the internationalization of SMEs, particularly by nurturing knowledge sharing, obtaining information about foreign markets and achieving rapid international expansion and growth.

From the responses obtained with the interviews, it is clear that IEAs might have a more active role in the internationalization processes of their associates. IEAs can have a fundamental role in fostering collaboration between associates, promoting both dissemination of opportunities and establishment of relationships.

The model proposed in this paper contributes to the scientific knowledge on SME internationalization by addressing how SMEs can establish collaborative networks for internationalization processes. It also contributes to the field of information and knowledge management, with the development of approaches and techniques to support these management activities for internationalization decision-making in collaborative networks. In this study the context used for collaboration is formed by Portuguese IEAs, which, to the best of the authors' knowledge, has never been addressed in previous research.

This paper shows that the management of internationalization is a research area that can be further explored with concepts and approaches based on topics of collaborative networks, and information and knowledge management. Researchers of these areas can bring new insights and contributions for the internationalization of SMEs, as well as for the internationalization of multinational enterprises (MNEs), with the creation of new business models and concepts [START_REF] Aguilera | Past, Present And Future Of The Andalusan Aeronautical Cluster[END_REF][START_REF] Imtiaz | Enriching Collaboration Among Eastern European SMEs Through Dedicated Virtual Platform[END_REF][START_REF] Jansson | An Innovation and Engineering Maturity Model for Marine Industry Networks[END_REF][START_REF] Jansson | Towards Collaborative Alignment of Engineering Networks[END_REF] that, among other contributions, can provide an important support to internationalization. para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), within project NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000057.

Fig. 1 .

 1 Fig. 1. Rationale of the proposed model

Table 1 .

 1 Summary of the study selection and evaluation (date of search: March 2014)

	Criteria	Web of Science Scopus Total
	Database analysis	180	195	375
	Date range	91	99	190
	Document type	72	75	147
	Subject area	60	35	95
	Language	58	34	92
	After checking duplicates	-	-	81
	Title and abstract analysis	-	-	16

Table 2 .

 2 Types of intermediaries for collaborative networks in internationalization

	Intermediaries	References
	Local partners (distributors, subcontractors and customers)	[3, 6, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 8, 22]
	Competitors	[13, 17, 19, 23]
	Managers' contacts from previous jobs or experiences	[3, 13, 19, 24]
	External parties	[14, 16]
	Foreign firms	[13, 18, 19, 21]
	Institutional agencies	[8, 25]
	Consultants	[8]
	Personal network, family and friends	[13, 19, 21, 8, 24, 25]
	Government bodies	[13, 8]
	Strategic allies and affiliated companies	[16, 22]

Table 3 .

 3 Reasons for establishing collaborative networks in internationalization

	Reasons

SLR FindingsAll the 16 analyzed papers had their focus on the influence of networks and collaboration in internationalization processes of SMEs. In fact, to limit the number of papers for analysis, emphasis was made on studies specifically approaching decisionmaking processes in internationalization.The research methods most frequently adopted in the papers were interviews, questionnaires and surveys, with 13 of the 16 papers using those methods to obtain data for their studies. This kind of empirical research is very common in studies of internationalization: authors prepare different types of questions, and mainly approach companies' entrepreneurs, managers and key informants with experience in internationalization processes.From the results of the SLR it can be concluded that, undoubtedly, SMEs need to form alliances, collaborate with different entities and use resources from their social and business networks, to be successful in internationalization processes. This conclusion can be generalized for almost all kind of companies from different types of industries or sectors: born global firms 1[START_REF] Andersson | International entrepreneurship, born globals and the theory of effectuation[END_REF][START_REF] Kaur | Internationalisation of born global firms: Evidence from Malaysia[END_REF], manufacturing firms[START_REF] Aspelund | Small and middle-sized enterprises' offshoring production: A study of firm decisions and consequences[END_REF][START_REF] Hultman | An interaction approach to global sourcing: A case study of IKEA[END_REF][START_REF] Peng | The learning effect on business groups' subsequent foreign entry decisions into transitional economies[END_REF], service firms[START_REF] Casillas | Learning, unlearning and internationalisation: Evidence from the pre-export phase[END_REF][START_REF] Castellacci | Service Firms Heterogeneity, International Collaborations and Export Participation[END_REF][START_REF] Ibeh | The network perspective and the internationalization of small and medium sized software firms from Syria[END_REF], and start-ups[START_REF] Cannone | Born globals: A cross-country survey on high-tech start-ups[END_REF][START_REF] Kollmann | International entrepreneurship in the network economy: Internationalization propensity and the role of entrepreneurial orientation[END_REF]. According to this literature, an SME can establish collaborative networks for internationalization purposes with quite different types of intermediaries (Table2).[START_REF] Schweizer | The internationalization process of SMEs: A muddling-through process[END_REF] "Born global firms" is a term used in the internationalization literature, applied to firms aiming for international markets right from their birth or very shortly thereafter[START_REF] Andersson | International entrepreneurship, born globals and the theory of effectuation[END_REF][START_REF] Kaur | Internationalisation of born global firms: Evidence from Malaysia[END_REF][START_REF] Cannone | Born globals: A cross-country survey on high-tech start-ups[END_REF].

Acknowledgments. This research was financed by the North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (ON.2 -O Novo Norte), under the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF), through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and by national funds, through the Portuguese funding agency, Fundação