The relative importance of human and product resources in influencing the export propensity of small UK firms

摘要

The decision on whether to seek business overseas can be crucial to a small firm's success. The issue here addressed is what distinguishes firms of a similar size and within the same sector that export from those that do not. Drawing on the Resource Based View (RBV) of the firm, company age, various measures of human capital and perceived characteristics of products were employed to explain export propensity. Logit regression was employed on a sample of 50 software companies and 37 food manufacturers. The results suggest the most important influence to be belief by management that their product is a market leader. This is followed by the possession of a degree by CEOs and the experience of living abroad.