Setores como o de software requerem organizações aptas a aplicarem suas capacidades tecnológicas. Apesar do fato de a capacidade técnica brasileira do setor ter gerado resultados reconhecidos internacionalmente, os incentivos dados a essa indústria não foram suficientes para permitir que o país atingisse as metas de exportação preestabelecidas. O objetivo deste estudo é verificar o papel que a capacitação tecnológica exerce sobre o desempenho exportador dos produtos e serviços de software. A expectativa inicial era de que o nível de capacitação tecnológica tivesse uma contribuição significativa para a expansão dos negócios internacionais e que fosse positivamente correlacionado a resultados de exportação. Para a análise, foram selecionadas 488 empresas integrantes da indústria brasileira de software, pesquisadas a partir da base de dados da Secretaria de Política de Informática do Ministério da Ciência e Tecnologia (SEPIN/MCT). A correlação entre capacitação tecnológica e desempenho exportador foi observada em aspectos referentes a ações de incentivo à capacitação e contribuição de novos produtos ao faturamento.; Software activities demand organizations that are able to apply their technological capabilities. Despite of the Brazilian technical capability in this field had been internationally recognized by good results...

Export performance has always been a non-consensual topic in the field of International Business, despite being one of the most researched areas. This dissertation starts aiming at understanding the influence of internal factors to the firm, export market characteristics and export marketing strategy in the export venture of a firm. After presenting a literature review, it was explained the research questions, and a conceptual framework was presented. This dissertation’s methodology has been that of a case study, where exports of cork stoppers from Portugal to emergent economies were studied. The results support the contention that commitment with export activity, contribution of firm’s resources to the success of the venture, international business knowledge, export market characteristics, and export venture marketing strategy adaptation (influenced by the factors previously mentioned) are key factors to a successful export venture performance. Then theoretical and managerial findings are discussed and directions for further research are given.

Tese submetida como requisito parcial para obtenção do grau de Doutor em Gestão - Especialidade em Marketing / JEL: M31, M16; Firms are constantly challenged by the trade-off between two types of strategic orientations: customer and technology. Yet, research directly addressing this topic is scarce and few recommendations exist on which orientation to emphasize. Using resource based view and organizational learning theory, this thesis addresses the relative impact of customer and technology orientations on export performance by considering the mediating role of innovation. Two innovation capabilities are considered: exploratory innovation – aimed at developing new product-market domains - and exploitative innovation – aimed at improving existing product-market positions. With the purpose of gaining more insights on those relationships, they are also examined under the influence of internal factors – past financial performance – and external factors – customer turbulence and technological turbulence. An exploratory study supported the survey instrument development. Data was collected through an on-line survey, resulting in a sample of 170 Portuguese exporters operating in technological manufacturing industries. We gathered data from two respondents within the each firm...

This paper presents a comprehensive and integrated set of validation procedures to assess the satisfactoriness of measurement models of multifaceted constructs. The validation framework is then applied to a new measurement model of the economic domain of export performance, a construct for which agreement has not yet been reached in the literature concerning the appropriate representation of its complex nature. A sample of 414 large Brazilian exporters of manufactured products was collected, and five competing measurement models of the construct were proposed and comparatively assessed. Insights into the nature and structure of the construct are drawn. In the best fitting of the five tested models, export (venture) performance is represented as a two-dimensional construct - past export revenues and their growth, and past export profitability, with four and two operational indicators, respectively. The set of final indicators provides a reasonable coverage of several conceptual aspects of the phenomenon, namely absolute and relative measures as well as static and dynamic orientations. There is a thorough discussion of validation steps. The validation framework advanced here is generic and comprehensive enough to be employed for modeling other multifaceted constructs in the social sciences.

This research investigated the impact the external environment, firm characteristics and firm strategy have on export performance. To this end, a survey was administered to 448 large Brazilian exporters of manufactured products. A structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was used to fit the conceptual model to empirical data. An extensive set of procedures for the validation of measurement models was used. Export performance exhibited a multidimensional structure and the model explained 76.6% and 40.1% of the observed variance of past export revenues and of past export profitability, respectively.

This paper uses the gravity model to analyze whether the varying export performance of Croatian counties can be explained by their proximity to border gates, ports, and other county-specific characteristics. The analysis finds that longer distances to border gates increase trade frictions significantly for many product categories, although these frictions have been decreasing between 2007 and 2012. The paper analyzes the county specific factors that are associated with variation in export performance, net of distance. Results show that exports are strongly and positively correlated with motorway and road density, the size of the labor force, low-skill ratio, and the number of patents. These variables are also associated with a greater diversity of exports in terms of products and destinations. Several general policy implications are highlighted. The significant association between motorway and road density and export volume, number of destinations, as well as the diversity of exported products may indicate that improvements in connectivity and facilitation of transport could still play a significant role in enhancing regional trade outcomes. Similarly...

This article argues that corporate social responsibility (CSR) may contribute to product differentiation in export markets and thus improve export performance. We test this argument by observing a period of decreasing export competitiveness in a leading emerging economy (Brazil). Using a large-scale survey design with 252 questionnaires completed by mediumand large-sized Brazilian exporters, we used structural equations modelling to test our hypotheses. The results suggest that CSR product differentiation predicts export performance better than product quality differentiation and almost as well as product innovation differentiation. Multi-group analysis further revealed that the positive and significant effect of CSR product differentiation on export performance is likely to be contingent on the number and type (developing vs. developed) of countries that are targeted. Our study contributes to the literature on CSR and export performance by developing and empirically validating a model that explains under which conditions CSR-based product differentiation may lead to improved export performance.; Dirk Michael Boehe, Luciano Barin Cruz

Sub-Saharan Africa’s export performance over recent decades has typically been por-trayed as poor compared to other regions in developing countries. This paper takes a new look at the record, using data on the volume rather than the value of African ex-ports. When analysed in volume terms a different picture of African export performance emerges. Despite being confronted by sharply declining prices, between 1995-2001 Afri-can exports expanded by an average of 5.9 percent annually. The picture changes quite significantly during the post-2002 commodity price boom period, with increases of 5.2 per cent per annum in average volumes. By using a dynamic panel of 36 Sub-Saharan countries, the aim of this paper is to analyse this apparent paradox, using data available from UNCTAD. Specifically, we investigate the price-elasticity response of African ex-porters in the light of dramatically shifting unit prices. In the context of the EDR project, we also specifically look at the question of whether countries classified as ´fragile states´ have been especially disadvantaged in terms of their export performance.; European Report on Development

Limited research exists on the effect of environmental uncertainty on inter-organisational relationships and export performance improvement in supply chains that transcend national boundaries, especially in developing markets such as sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the dominance of the economic perspective in export performance literature, increased attention over the last decade has turned to the Resource Base View (RBV) and the relational perspective. Highlighting this theoretical gap, we develop an approach that argues export market buyers gain advantage by leveraging internal resources and draw upon RBV and relational exchange theory. Data from 262 fresh-produce export suppliers in Zimbabwe was used to investigate the effect of perceived environmental uncertainty on inter-organisational relationships and supplier export performance. Results indicate that perceived environmental uncertainty dimensions have varied influence over inter-organisational relationships. Results support the relational theory's tenet that commitment to future exchanges is associated with export performance improvement, and driven by a reciprocal pattern of each partner's perception of the other's commitment, relationship-specific investments and dependence. These inter-organisational relationships are seen as complementary resources of the firm...

The original goal of the Motor Industry Development Program was to help the automotive industry in South Africa adjust to trade liberalization and become internationally competitive. In simple terms, it consists of an import/export complementation arrangement, whereby the local value-added of components or built-up vehicles exported earns credits that can be used to rebate import duties on components and vehicles. This study provides a first attempt at a quantitative analysis of the Motor Industry Development Program using the difference-in-difference methodology, in order to assess to what extent the program was effective in improving South Africa's automotive export performance during 1996-2006. The authors take a two-tier approach. First, they perform a comparative study using different manufacturing sectors within South Africa; second, they apply this methodology to analyze South Africa and a number of comparator countries that are automotive producers and exporters. The analysis finds that the impact of the program on automotive exports in South Africa is positive and significant. In particular...

The authors apply a Heckman selection model to the 2003 Investment Climate Survey (ICS) to investigate supply-side constraints to export performance at the firm level in Ecuador. To correct for the non-random truncation problems, they use the Heckman selection model to estimate the probability of exporting (export propensity) and the share of total sales that are exported (export intensity) by Ecuadorian firms. They develop a baseline model with 12 independent variables divided into three categories-idiosyncratic characteristics, technology, and business environment. The authors develop three other models with the addition of variables related to trade integration, business environment, and infrastructure. Results corroborate with the hypothesis implicit in the Heckman model, which considers both decisions made by a firm-whether to export, and how much of its sales to export-to be interdependent. In the Ecuadorian case, they find three important results for the firm's export performance: technology matters; infrastructure does not; and trade orientation is significant...

Bosnia and Herzegovina's industrial restructuring, as seen through the lenses of foreign trade performance and its sustainability, has taken off. Bosnia and Herzegovina s exports have displayed strong dynamics outstripping the pace of growth of exports in almost each year over 1997-2007 combined with the shift to higher value added exportables. Although its performance during the period 1996-2000 following the end of war in late 1995 was not surprising, given relatively low foreign direct investment inflows and weaknesses in the investment climate, its subsequent export performance has come as a surprise. Industrial restructuring, as revealed in the pattern of exports, consisted in rebuilding and modernizing the pre-independence industrial base built around wood products, metalworking, clothing, and automotive products. Although exports still remain relatively low in terms of both per capita and gross domestic product in comparison with other Balkan economies, there has been significant change in their composition...

The authors estimate the impact of aggregate indicators of "soft" and "hard" infrastructure on the export performance of developing countries. They build four new indicators for 101 countries over the period 2004-07. Estimates show that trade facilitation reforms do improve the export performance of developing countries. This is particularly true with investment in physical infrastructure and regulatory reform to improve the business environment. Moreover, the findings provide evidence that the marginal effect of infrastructure improvement on exports appears to be decreasing in per capita income. In contrast, the impact of information and communications technology on exports appears increasingly important for richer countries. Drawing on estimates, the authors compute illustrative exports growth for developing countries and ad-valorem equivalents of improving each indicator halfway to the level of the top performer in the region. As an example, improving the quality of physical infrastructure so that Egypt's indicator increases half-way to the level of Tunisia would increase exports by 10.8 percent. This is equivalent to a 7.4 percent cut in tariffs faced by Egyptian exporters across importing markets.

Changes in trade policies have been an essential component of the "doi moi" policy implemented by the Government of Vietnam since 1986. Over the years, most export quotas have been lifted and export taxes have been reduced to generally low levels. In addition, export activities by the private sector (both domestic and foreign) have been increasingly encouraged, thus breaking the trade monopoly of a small number of state-owned enterprises. These reforms -together with sound macroeconomic management- have led to a rapid export and import growth. The structure of exports also changed. During the 1990s, Vietnam started to exploit its comparative advantage in labor-intensive manufactures. Export growth was led by light manufactures, dominated by the garment and footwear sectors. Also remarkable, despite the shrinking share of agricultural goods in total exports, was the strong rise in the volume of rice exports. In only few years Vietnam turned from being a net rice importer into the world's second largest exporter. The Asian crisis has interrupted Vietnam's trade expansion. In 1998...

Entering and successfully surviving in export markets is a costly process for firms. The process involves learning about the existence of foreign demand, "discovering" production costs of exportable goods, building up reputation, succeeding in product branding to reduce competitive pressures and to be constantly upgrading quality standards to better serve demanding international clients, and remaining competitive vis-à-vis other players in the global marketplace. This paper argues that tourism can help alleviate some of these costs by providing a relatively inexpensive platform for cost-discovery and by acting as a low-cost "in-house" trade fair, accessible to all domestic producers. The analysis combines product-level data on world and Nepal's exports (both for goods that are related and unrelated to tourism) with Nepalese data on tourist inflows and expenditures and macro indicators on relative prices. For tourism-related goods, the analysis reveals a positive association between tourist inflows from given destinations and their expenditures...

Dissertação de Mestrado em Negócios Internacionais apresentada à ESTG - Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão do Instituto Politécnico de Leiria.; Why do some firms succeed in exporting while others do not? Export activities are a crucial area of international business but the drivers of superior export performance are not yet well understood. In this study, employing a sample of 52 Portuguese firms, we examine what are the distinctive resources and capabilities associated to superior export performance through the establishment of sustainable competitive advantages. Resource-based view supports the development of explicit hypothesis. Different combinations of export-related resources and capabilities are identified as source of cost, product and service-type advantages and how do these advantages impact economic, strategic and relational dimensions of export performance. The findings of this study have important implications for theory, managers and policymakers. Limitations of the study are considered, and future research directions are identified.

WOS:000337736100007 (Nº de Acesso Web of Science); Managerial perceptions are essential in explaining strategic decisions. It is, therefore, surprising that despite a number of studies that have examined the impact of managerial characteristics in exporting, little research has been reported in the export literature that investigates the importance of managers' perceptions on strategic decisions and resultant performance outcomes. To address this gap in the literature, the authors examine the key determinants of managers' psychic distance as well as its influence on international pricing decisions, and this in turn, on the export performance of small and medium sized enterprises. We also examine the quadratic effects of price adaptation on export performance. This is particularly relevant as price adaptation and export performance have been assumed in the literature to have a linear relationship. The results show that managers' perceptions have a significant impact on pricing decisions and resultant performance outcomes. Our findings also indicate that price adaptation has an inverted U-shaped relationship with export performance.

Poor conceptualization of the export performance construct may undermine theory development efforts and may be one of the reasons behind the often conflicting findings in empirical research on the export performance phenomenon. This article reviews the conceptual and empirical literature and proposes a new analytical scheme that may serve as a standard for judging content validity and a guiding yardstick for drawing operational representations of the construct. A critical assessment of some of the most frequently cited measurement frameworks, followed by an analysis of recent (1999-2004) empirical research, leaves no doubt that there are flaws in the conceptualization and operationalization of the performance construct that ought to be addressed. A new measurement model is advanced along with some guidelines which are suggested for its future empirical validation. The new measurement framework allegedly improves on other past efforts in terms of breadth of coverage of the construct's domain (content validity). It also offers a measurement perspective (with the simultaneous use of both formative and reflective approaches) that appears to reflect better the nature of the construct.

Technologically sophisticated industries like software require a high degree of technological capability. Despite that fact that Brazilian software firms have attained international recognition, government industry incentives have been insufficient to permit the industry to reach official export goals. The objective of this research was to investigate the influence of technological capability in product and service export performance. Our initial expectation was that level of technological capability would have a significant impact on the expansion of international business leading to a positive correlation between tech capability and export results. This hypotheses was tested on a sample of 488 Brazilian software firms drawn from the SEPIN/MCT database. A correlation between technological capability and export performance was only observed in variables relating to incentives for human resource training and new product development. Our analyses suggest that technological capability in this industry has been neglected and may obstruct the expansion of international sales of Brazilian software.; Setores como o de software requerem organizações tecnologicamente aptas. Apesar do fato de a capacidade técnica brasileira do setor ter gerado resultados reconhecidos internacionalmente...

One of the most macroeconomic challenges of Brazil is export growth. Companies should enter in the international market to increase competitiveness, gain economic scale and reduce national domestic dependence. In the present study, data of 80 micro-, small- and medium-sized Brazilian exporting companies, which were segmented according to their export per, were collected by questionnaires, which were sent by e-mail. This study could identify four statistical significant determinants of export performance: experience in international markets, the existence of an export department, the utilization of export-financing programs, specially the Advances on Exchange-rate Contracts (ACC), and the quality of the product.; El aumento de las exportaciones es, actualmente, uno de los principales retos macroeconómicos para el país. Desde el punto de vista empresarial, entrar en el mercado internacional es fundamental para aumentar la competitividad, obtener economía de escala y disminuir la dependencia del mercado doméstico. Para el presente estudio se obtuvieron, por medio de cuestionarios enviados por correo electrónico, informaciones de 80 micros, pequeñas y medianas empresas exportadoras brasileñas, segmentadas de acuerdo con su desempeño exportador. Se pudo confirmar la existencia de cuatro factores estadísticamente significantes para el desempeño exportador: tiempo de actuación en el mercado internacional...