PhD Defense | Uyen Vu successfully defends her doctoral dissertation
On Wednesday 17 December, Uyen Vu successfully defended her PhD dissertation Achieving Marketing Ambidexterity for International Performance: Insights from digitally driven SMEs at the Stockholm School of Economics.
The dissertation examines why some small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are more successful than others in internationalizing through digital business models. It focuses on how SMEs balance efficient, established marketing practices with experimentation and innovation when expanding across borders.
The opponent at the defense was Professor Ulf R. Andersson from Mälardalen University, Sweden, who highlighted the dissertation’s strong capability-based framework and its contribution to understanding why some SMEs outperform others in digital internationalization. After the discussion, the examination committee approved the dissertation.
What problem does this research address?
Digitally driven SMEs face strong pressure to grow internationally despite limited resources. They must exploit existing marketing capabilities while exploring new digital channels, markets, and customer approaches. The dissertation studies how firms manage this tension and how it affects international performance.
Data and research approach
The dissertation is based on three empirical papers. Two quantitative studies, already published in International Business Review and Journal of Business Research, analyze survey data from internationally active SMEs. A third qualitative study draws on in-depth case studies to examine how marketing capabilities develop over time.
Key research findings
- Digitally driven SMEs can be proactive, not just reactive, by using digital tools to shape markets rather than only respond to customer demand.
- Market-driven and market-driving strategies are complementary, helping firms balance short-term efficiency with long-term innovation.
- Differentiated customer experiences are a key source of competitive advantage in international digital markets.
Together, the findings show that digital tools can support international growth when firms develop the right marketing capabilities and organizational balance.
Implications for managers and policymakers
For managers, the research highlights the importance of investing not only in digital technologies, but also in marketing capabilities that support both stability and experimentation. For policymakers and support organizations, the findings point to the value of helping SMEs build long-term capabilities for international growth, rather than focusing solely on short-term digital adoption.
👉&²Ô²ú²õ±è;Read the dissertation in full:
Supervision committee
- Sarah Jack, Affiliated Research Fellow, Department of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology, Stockholm School of Economics; Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship, Lancaster University.
- Daniel Tolstoy, Assistant Professor, Department of Marketing and Strategy, Stockholm School of Economics.
- Emilia Nordman, Professor, School of Business Society and Engineering; Head of Subject at the Department of Marketing and Strategy, Mälardalen University.
- Erik Wetter, Assistant Professor (docent), Department of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology, Stockholm School of Economics.
We congratulate Uyen Vu on her achievement and wish her the best of luck going forward!
