Taking a time-out from exporting: Implications for the likelihood of export re-entry and re-entry export performance

Drawing from Organizational Learning Theory, we explain how the “time-out period” from exporting affects a) the likelihood of re-starting exporting and b) re-entry export performance. We also explain how foreign collaboration influences these two relationships. We show that the time-out period has an inverted U-shaped relationship with the likelihood of re-starting exporting, and a U-shaped relationship with re-entry export performance. Foreign collaboration enhances managerial confidence and thereby increases the likelihood of re-starting exporting during the earlier phases of the time-out period. It also enhances re-entry export performance by accelerating new knowledge accumulation in the later phases of the time-out period.