Export Intention in Developing Countries: A Configuration Approach to Managerial Success Factors

Abstract

What drives small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to enter export markets? This study introduces a configuration approach using a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to show that, contrary to previous findings, export intention does not depend on any one managerial characteristic, but rather on the interplay of these attributes. Using a sample of 180 Algerian non-exporters, findings suggest that firms’ export intention is determined by two distinct combinations of managerial attributes, namely: (export perception*entrepreneurial orientation) and (export perception*international orientation*foreign knowledge*Age). In line with the emerging resource orchestration view, such findings hold significant implications for both theory and practice.