Strategies in exporting firms: A study of Australian small to medium enterprises exporting to Asia

Peter J Dowling
School of Management, LaTrobe University, Melbourne VIC

Peter W Liesch
Graduate School of Management, University of Queensland, QLD

Jaqueline A Flint
Faculty of the Central Coast, University of Newcastle, NSW

Sharif N As-Saber
School of Management, University of Tasmania, TAS

Kwong Chan
School of Management, University of Tasmania, TAS

Peter A Innes
School of Management, University of Tasmania, TAS

PP: 1

Abstract

The focus of the present paper is to examine the strategy use in Australian small and medium enterprises exporting to Asia.

A selection of strategic issues is examined in order to identify their relative importance to a firm's exporting activities. No attempt is made to establish a causal linkage between strategy and export performance. Rather, the paper attempts to appraise the level of importance of various strategic factors that are often dealt with by an exporting firm.

The study was conducted with an expectation of assisting future research endeavours into the relevance of strategies to export-performance. A set of impediments and the extent of their negativity on the exporting activities have also been considered, the understanding of which may help a firm in achieving appropriate strategic direction.

Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used in an attempt to capture the intricacies and challenges of using strategies in a cross-cultural environment.

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Keywords

strategy and export, export performance, financial strategy, exporting SMEs


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