01898nas a2200205   4500008004100000022001400041245012800055210006900183260004200252300001000294490000700304520119800311653002601509653003501535653002901570653001701599653002901616100001701645856003001662       2020                        eng d  a1927-032100aThe Importance of Global Business Hubs on Internationalizing SMEs: an empirical analysis of psychic and geographic distance0 aImportance of Global Business Hubs on Internationalizing SMEs an  aOttawabTalent First Networkc04/2020  a35-470 v103 aThis article investigates the influence of psychic and geographic distance, as well as country and market-related variables, on the preference of high-technology small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to connect with, and settle in major business hubs. Literature in the field of SME internationalization and international entrepreneurship increasingly emphasizes a network approach in which the characteristics and linkages of the internationalizing firm&rsquo;s network are studied. We aim to contribute to this network-based internationalization research by integrating a further element present in complex social and technical networks: network hubs. Hubs are highly connected nodes within a network. In global business, hubs can be defined as business sites that have a high interconnection with the world economy through tremendous flows of goods and capital. The empirical findings of our research suggest that internationalizing high technology SMEs tend to connect with, or settle in to foreign market business hubs, when focal markets are more distant from their home market. These findings are significant for both geographic and psychic distances between home and focal markets.10abusiness network hubs10ainternational entrepreneurship10aliability of foreignness10anetwork view10aSME internationalization1 aWild, Pascal  utimreview.ca/article/1345