Many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) suffered badly from the recent economic crisis. However, a range of overseas Japanese SMEs in the electronic manufacturing sector seemed to do well, even achieving significant growth. Despite that, the electronic sector is in deep recession. Using three in-depth cases in the electronic manufacturing sector, this article discusses how successful overseas Japanese SMEs could achieve further growth and resilience to marketplace uncertainties. The findings

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... ggest that firm growth could be achieved through (1) re-organising of manufacturing supply chain by reducing overseas Keiretsu obligations; (2) gaining negotiation powers to achieve economies of scale through acquisitions; and (3) adopting IT technology to achieve Lean and increase responsiveness to market changes. The implications of these findings for SMEs in other sectors are additionally explored.