Content area
Full Text
Are there some specific and measurable characteristics common to all successful exporters? Past research efforts in the area of export management have identified several firm and managerial characteristics associated with the export activity of manufacturing firms (Cavusgil and Naor 1987, Moini 1992, Reid 1982): In the literature, export performance or success has been evaluated by a variety of measures, such as export intensity (export sales as a percentage of total sales) or export growth (Reid 1982, Cooper and Kleinschmidt 1985; Beamish, Craig, and McLellan 1993). Although reliance on a single variable as a gauge of export success was shown not to be valid (Cooper and Kleinschmidt 1985), prior research that measured export performance using a single variable of success reflected an improvement in performance criteria over the categorical approach (Aaby and Slater 1989).
This research uses a multivariable approach to predict export success. A survey of 102 small exporters in Wisconsin identified characteristics that contribute to the export success of the firm. By concurrently using export intensity and export growth as measures of success, this study provides a better picture of export performance.
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
A review of previous studies identified a wide range of variables associated with a firm's success in exporting (Bilkey 1978, Aaby and Slater 1989). These included firm characteristics (size, years of export experience, comparative advantages, and management expertise), managerial expectations from exporting (profitability, risk, and cost), managerial characteristics (age, education, and knowledge of foreign languages), and foreign market search. This study integrates the results of past research.
Firm Characteristics
Firm size is often regarded by export researchers as a critical variable in explaining export behavior and success (Cavusgil and Naor 1987; Louter, Ouwerkerk, and Bakker 1991; Denis and Depelteau 1985; Cristensen, da Rocha, and Gartner 1987). Some researchers have used the number of employees as a measure of size (Bilkey and Tesar 1977), while other researchers have used sales volume (Czinkota and Johnston 1983). For all the attention firm size has received, there is little agreement regarding the impact that organizational size has on export success. Reid (1982), for example, reported that larger firms are less constrained in devoting financial and human resources (as defined by sales, assets, number of employees, and managerial personnel) to exporting because of...