Export performance and the internationalisation of SMEs

Abstract

This paper proposes a conceptual model that analyses the factors influencing the export performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and integrates international entrepreneurship theory and international strategies. Rooted in an extensive bibliography that provides the basis for key constructs, the proposed model brings together the fundamentals of SMEs' internationalisation processes that influence these enterprises' export performance. The model highlights three important factors: industry-, environment- and firm-related aspects affecting firms' entrepreneurial orientation. The model contributes to a better understanding of the key factors affecting the export performance of SMEs, providing a simple structure that can be strategically used by entrepreneurs when launching their firms into international markets. The model complements previous approaches but offers a more integrative approach based on research that ventures further into a little explored area of the literature on internationalisation theories.