Abstract
Despite considerable research on export performance, relatively little scholarly attention has been devoted to incorporating managers’ perspectives into operationalizing this concept. This study proposes a new approach for measuring small and medium-sized enterprises’ export performance in the presence of multiple, potentially conflicting, goals while accounting for different approaches to assessing export performance. Adopting a contingency approach, the authors develop two customized measures of perceived export performance: the individualized perceived export performance framework and the simplified model. They demonstrate the application of both measures with a sample of 78 exporting small and medium enterprises in New Zealand and compare the outcomes. The proposed frameworks are intended to measure export performance considering managers’ specific priorities and by incorporating manager- and firm-specific differences in the types and importance of goals, indicators, and benchmarks. This article extends the understanding of export performance by proposing a more nuanced and holistic measurement approach that is tailored to individual firms and reflects firm-specific idiosyncrasies.
Highlights
Despite considerable research on export performance, relatively little scholarly attention has been devoted to incorporating managers’ perspectives into operationalizing this concept
We introduce and elaborate on a novel methodology— fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP)—which is a powerful and flexible multicriteria decision-making tool that is useful for handling complex problems
We employ a fuzzy extension of AHP, a widely utilized multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) approach, to capture the judgments of managers and assess the relative emphases that they place on various aspects of export performance
Summary
Despite considerable research on export performance, relatively little scholarly attention has been devoted to incorporating managers’ perspectives into operationalizing this concept. The authors develop two customized measures of perceived export performance: the individualized perceived export performance framework and the simplified model They demonstrate the application of both measures with a sample of 78 exporting small and medium enterprises in New Zealand and compare the outcomes. The proposed frameworks are intended to measure export performance considering managers’ specific priorities and by incorporating manager- and firm-specific differences in the types and importance of goals, indicators, and benchmarks. Reflecting on this, we aim to provide a more nuanced understanding of subjective aspects of export performance assessment among managers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by developing a holistic measurement model that reflects firm-specific individuality by explicitly accounting for managerial priorities in the evaluation of the firm’s performance. In their review of the organizational performance literature, Richard et al (2009, p. 725) concluded, “We are making a quantum leap of faith in assuming that our measures relate to what the firm is seeking to achieve.” In a similar vein, Richard et al (2009, p. 722) noted, “We may not be measuring the performance to which managers are managing.”
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