OBSTACLES TO EXPORT INITIATION AND EXPANSION

The increasing globalization of markets witnessed in recent years has been paralleled by growing research attention upon the internationaliz ation of small and medium sized firms. In industrialized nations, a si gnificant degree of dormant export potential has been identified in th is firm size sector. The proliferation of extant literature fan explai n structural, behavioural and process-based aspects of export expansio n. However, it remains that limited conceptual and empirical insights exist that explain the phenomena underlying pre-export decision making and behaviour. The present inquiry addresses this issue and investiga tes those obstacles that act upon domestic firms' intentions to enter overseas markets via the export channel. Specifically, the empirical s tudy documented here establishes significant differences in the extent to which exporting obstacles discourage export engagement amongst var ied groups of domestic firms considered in terms of their export inten tion. It also draws a similar comparison between such groups of non-ex porting firms and those already engaged in export operations. The find ings are interpreted and discussed in the light of current knowledge a nd attention is paid towards pertinent implications for export managem ent and future research. (C) 1997 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. A ll rights reserved.