Trade credit and SME profitability

Financial literature discusses the motives for trade credit provision by suppliers in depth. However, there is no empirical evidence of the effect of granting trade credit on the profitability of small and medium-sized firms. We examine the profitability implications of providing financing to customers for a sample of 11,337 Spanish manufacturing SMEs during the 2000–2007 period. This article also examines the differences in the profitability of trade credit according to financial, operational, and commercial motives. The findings suggest that managers can improve firm profitability by increasing their investment in receivables and that the effect is greater for financially unconstrained firms (larger and more liquid firms), for firms with volatile demand, and for firms with bigger market shares.     

Rigidity in SME export commencement decisions

In an increasingly globalised world, firms generally have become more internationalised utilising a range of different modes of operation. In the case of small-medium sized enterprises (SMEs), exporting is the favoured mode of international market entry, at least in the early stages of internationalisation, and many governments have supported SME exports through export promotion policies because of the importance of SMEs in employment creation. However, in spite of this policy focus, in most countries, the proportional involvement of SMEs in exporting remains low, which raises an important question as to what factors are inhibiting firms that are successful domestically from exporting. In addressing this question, much scholarly research has focused on the broad concept of ‘export barriers’. These barriers, for example, tariffs, quotas and administrative obstacles, are seen as a primary source of export reluctance. This paper takes a different approach to previous studies and proposes that a firm's resistance to exporting can be better understood through an analysis of the behavioural decision process of firms in line with the Uppsala internationalisation model. We propose ‘lateral rigidity’, first introduced in the literature in the 1970s, as an important concept in export commencement. By applying factor analysis to a survey of Australian SMEs, we provide a measurement model for lateral rigidity, revealing its important factors and thus strengthening understanding of firms' export commencement decisions. We conclude by drawing implications for internationalisation theory, practice and public policy and suggesting ways to extend this work through future research.     

Limitations of export promotion

All Latin American countries strive for diversification of the exportable industrial production and the exploitation of new and non-traditional foreign export markets. These efforts are not free from the dangers of erroneous assessment of the limits of exports resulting in grave disadvantages for other targets of economic and development policies.     

中小企业牵手出口信用保险

天有不测风云,人有旦夕祸福,这是人们对意外事件的总结和判断。在国际贸易领域,意外事件、意外损失的发生总是令人忧心,因为它导致的结果小可伤筋动骨,大到倾家荡产。对于进出口企北来说,而对意外事件的发生,是选择亡羊补牢,还是未雨绸缪,其结果可能会大不一样。将小额的保险费支出作为日常成本,来规避不确定的大额意外损失,这是企业明智的选择。无论是出口信用保险,还是货物保险,都将会是企业防范风险的一道屏障。     

贸易中介与促进出口

贸易中介(tradeintermediaries)早在国际贸易产生之时已经存在,由于出口国的生产厂商和进口国的消费者往往缺少信息和资源来进行有效的贸易活动,贸易中介便扮演了一个把不同国家的生产者和消费者联系起来的     

German export performance

The Federal Republic of Germany's exports in 1980 represented approximately 23% of GNP. Germany's share of total world exports, however, declined throughout the seventies. What are the factors influencing German export performance? What is the outlook for the future?     

Trade patterns and export pricing under non-CES preferences

We develop a two-factor, two-sector trade model of monopolistic competition with variable elasticity of substitution. Firms' profits and sizes may increase or decrease with market integration depending on the degree of asymmetry between countries. The country in which capital is relatively abundant is a net exporter of the manufactured good, although both firm sizes and profits are lower in this country than in the country where capital is relatively scarce. The pricing policy adopted by firms depends neither on capital endowment nor country asymmetry. It is determined by the nature of preferences: when demand elasticity increases (decreases) with consumption, firms practice dumping (reverse-dumping).     

Evaluating government export promotion: some conceptual and empirical approaches

This article addresses an important aspect of marketing that has not received its due place in the research and academic literature devoted to international trade: It endeavors to provide an authoritative analysis of how to tackle the evaluation of government-funded export programs for companies participating in, for example, trade fairs, missions, symposia, or “weeks.” The article distinguishes particularly export promotion at the macro (government) level and the micro (firm) levels—this distinction is often blurred in the sparse literature on the subject. A general “a priori” analysis from first principles is followed by a specific, quantified approach of a cost / benefit nature; this is applied on a multiyear basis to produce the outcome needed to identify incremental revenues accruing to exporting and participating companies. Another specific approach using return on investment is also explored. The article concludes with some observations about current research and indicates further issues on which work is still needed.     

Determinants of export performance

Comparative advantage, government incentives and entrepreneurial dynamics as determinants of a country’s export performance are discussed in this article. The author’s particular attention is focussed on the present situation and future perspectives of the less developed countries.     

Geographic export diversification: Determinants and their link with export performance

This study examines company‐specific factors that may help explain the choice of an export‐market strategy and explores how the selected export strategy contributes to explaining company's export performance (XP). Concentrating on a specific area within a broad spectrum of export behavior analysis has enabled us to examine these factors in greater depth. The results of our research, which was carried out using a sample comprising Spanish exporting companies, show a firm's size, a firm's age, and a firm's greater foreign ownership in its share capital are all determining factors for adopting a strategy geared to export‐market diversification. A greater level of investment in R&D and greater international commitment are also important in this regard. We suggest reinforcing these two factors because there is evidence of a better XP among firms that have a wider range of foreign markets.     

Listening to the global grapevine: SME export managers’ personal contacts as a vehicle for export information generation

This paper develops a conceptual framework and a range of propositions for empirically testing SME export managers’ assessment and use of personal contacts as a vehicle for export information generation. The paper argues that the perceived value of such activities differs with the properties of the personal network, the export manager's international experience and the use of information and communication technology in information generation. The final section of the paper discusses managerial implications and directions for future research.     

SME internationalization and performance: Growth vs. profitability

Lu and Beamish (2001) examined the effect of two internationalization strategies, exporting and foreign direct investment (FDI), on SME performance (ROA). We extend this research by examining the differential effects of these strategies on two other dimensions of SME performance: growth and ROS. We develop and test four sets of hypotheses using a sample of 164 Japanese SMEs. We find that exporting activity has a positive impact on growth, but negative impact on profitability. FDI activity has a positive relationship with growth, but a U curve relationship with profitability. Exporting activity has a positive moderating effect on the relationship between an SME’s FDI activity and firm growth, a negative moderating effect on the relationship between an SME’s FDI activity and firm profitability. An SME’s age when it starts to make FDIs has a negative moderating impact on the relationship between FDI and firm growth and profitability.     

Entrepreneurial orientation,export channel selection,and export performance of SMEs

Although research indicates that the export channel a firm uses can significantly impact export performance, it is unclear how firms should select this channel. Models of export channel choice tend to concentrate on transaction cost efficiencies, ignoring value adding orientations that entrepreneurial firms may possess. In this paper we develop and test the theoretical notion that in addition to transaction costs, differences in entrepreneurial orientation (EO) influence export channel choice and as a consequence export performance. Using data from a sample of Dutch and Italian SMEs we find that adding EO (moderated by institutional distance) significantly improves our model of export channel choice. Further we find that firms selecting export channels that align not only with transaction cost factors but also firm level EO, moderated by institutional distance, have higher export market performance. Thus, our study adds to and extends the export channel choice literature and provides interesting new insights into how EO helps firms create more successful export operations.     

Trade policy,export expansion,human capital and growth

This paper empirically investigates the impact of trade policy on export expansion and on GDP growth in developing countries while controlling for the human capital stock and the initial level of development. By using a simultaneous system estimation we unite the approach found in the export expansion and growth literature with the approach found in papers that estimate the effect of trade policy on growth, while also making several improvements in the estimation of the underlying relationships. The results obtained from our estimation are more credible because of these improvements and therefore have stronger policy implications. We find that outward-oriented trade policies substantially and significantly impact growth in developing countries not only by directly enhancing exports but also through a feedback (or multiplier) effect.     

The empirical link between export dispersion and export performance: A contingency-based approach

Practitioners and scholars point out that firms are increasingly dispersing their capabilities across organizational functions. However, it is not clear whether all forms of dispersion, of any function, result in the same consequences. This study initiates investigation into the link between the cross-functional dispersion of influence on export marketing decisions (export dispersion) and export performance. Drawing on data from a sample of 225 UK exporters, the findings support the argument that active participation of non-export functions in export-marketing decisions affects export success. However, those performance consequences are dependent on internal and external contingencies. Export dispersion is beneficial for export performance when the export customer environment is more turbulent and, simultaneously, the export technological environment is more stable and the firm has lower levels of export information sharing. In all other scenarios examined in this study, greater levels of concentration of export decision-making (i.e. lower levels of export dispersion) appear to be more beneficial for export performance. Our findings imply that the management of the firm’s level of export dispersion is a complex task, whereby the degree of export dispersion pursued needs to match external environmental and internal firm factors.     

EEC trade policies and Latin American export performance

Since the beginning of the seventies Latin American exporters have been losing ground to their Asian competitors on the EEC as well as on the world market. While Latin American authorities tend to put the blame on external factors, and among them not least on the allegedly protectionist and descriminating EEC trade policy, Dr. Langhammer shows that internal, “home-made” policy shortcomings have hampered Latin American exports at least to the same extent.