SMES' internationalization: firms and managerial factors

Abstract

Purpose - To examine the particular organizational and managerial determinants of the different aspects of a firm's export development process: intention, propensity, and intensity. Design/methodology/approach - The study analysed firms' resources and capabilities, managerial characteristics, and managerial attitude and perceptions in a sample of 286 firms in the Spanish wine industry. Statistical analyses using SPSS were carried out to confirm or reject eight hypotheses. Findings - Results confirmed that factors influencing export involvement are not the same along the process of export development. Research limitations/implications - The study is limited to one context, and it is static (cross-sectional) in nature. Practical implications - Implications not only for practitioners (especially, managers), but also for policy makers, are discussed. Originality/value - First, the research has been conducted in Spain, a country for which export development process has not been widely studied. Second, three aspects of export development have been analysed at the same time: intention, propensity, and intensity. And third, the effect of industry-specific characteristics on internal export factors has been isolated through the selection of one industry in one country for the empirical research.