Export market orientation and international performance in the context of SMEs

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to provide new insights into the relationship between ‘export market orientation’ (EMO) and ‘export performance’ by using a disaggregated approach. The authors want to provide empirical evidence of some antecedents of EMO and its contribution to export performance in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The empirical research consists of a survey, conducted by using cross-sectional data of a sample of 300 Italian small and medium-sized coffee roasting firms. The results show how roasting firms seem to be more inclined to respond to market changes than to generate and share market information, since the value of export intelligence responsiveness is higher than export intelligence dissemination and export intelligence generation. Regarding the antecedents, the number of foreign markets and the presence of an export department are significantly and positively related to the two components of EMO, while the number of years has no impact. Finally, the regression analysis also demonstrates how the responsiveness influences export performance directly, while market intelligence generation and dissemination are fundamental drivers of responsiveness. The study extends previous empirical research works on EMO in the Italian context and demonstrates its applicability also in the case of SMEs.