Export promotion programs, export capabilities, and risk management practices of internationalized SMEs

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to analyze the effectiveness of public policies on the international performance of the small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Specifically, we investigate the effect of public export promotion programs (EPPs) on two types of organizational capabilities, i.e., export capabilities which have been already used in previous modelization and international risk management practices as an original variable intended to better explain the effectiveness of public policies on the SME’s international performance. We use a quantitative methodology based on a structural equation modeling approach applied to a sample of 147 internationalized French SMEs that used EPPs. Our results add value to theoretical and empirical knowledge on the effectiveness of public support programs on the international performance of SMEs, since we demonstrate an indirect effect between EPPs and international performance, through export capabilities and risk management practices. We also show that by strengthening the risk management practices, EPPs stimulate the SME in implementing foreign direct investment strategies.