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Analyzing Export Behavior Through Managerial Characteristics and Perceptions: A Multiple Case-Based Research

2010; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 23; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/08911762.2010.504522

1528-6975

Maria-Cristina Stoian, Alex Rialp,

Innovation and Knowledge Management

ABSTRACT The decision-maker's role in international activity is crucial, particularly in the case of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, the extant literature on internationalization is characterized by a lack of consensus among scholars as to what constitutes the managerial factor in determining exporting. Therefore, this study focuses on the following issue: Which are the decision-maker's characteristics and perceptions that may influence the export behavior of SMEs? To address this main research question, a multiple-case study method is applied across four Spanish exporting SMEs. The findings show that high educational level, language skills, high-risk tolerance, innovativeness, as well as strongly perceived export stimuli compared to low and relatively easy to overcome export barriers positively influence the export involvement and development in these investigated SMEs. The study provides further insights into the research topic by jointly studying managerial characteristics and perceptions in the Spanish context where the exporting activities have not been as widely studied so far. KEYWORDS: Managerial characteristics and perceptionsexport involvement and developmentsmall- and medium-sized enterprisesSpaincase study approach The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support obtained from the national Ministry of Education and Science (SEJ2004-07242-C03-01) for the development of this research. Notes 1In this article, as well as in many others in the SME export-oriented literature, the concepts of owner, entrepreneur, manager, and/or export sales manager are used as rather synonyms, referring to the main decision-maker in charge of the export activity in the firm. 2The Catalan region was established as the key geographical context for this research due to its economic importance at both the Spanish and European level. Within the Spanish economy, Catalonia is the region that holds the highest number of exporting firms, as well as of regular exporters, and accounts for 30% of all Spanish exports. Catalonia also stands among the leading industrialized regions of Europe. Together with the regions of Baden-Wurttemberg (Germany), Lombardy (Italy), and Rhone-Alps (France), they are thought to be the "four motors of Europe" (CitationBazan & Gavino, 2004). Regarding exports, the Catalan economy presents a 66% degree of international openness, measured as the ratio between the volume of exports plus imports and the gross domestic product (GDP) of the region (CitationGeneralitat de Catalunya, 2004).