Becoming Export Ready: How to Overcome Early-Stage Export Barriers : Case Finnish Transport and Mobility SMEs
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Exporting SMEs grow faster and are more innovative than their peers who strictly focus on domestic markets. Exporting, however, comes with risks. Therefore, achieving long-term export success is vital to exporting SMEs – and, to get there, SMEs should aim to become export ready.
Limited research indicates that SMEs’ capabilities to overcome export barriers predicts their higher export readiness and future long-term success. Thus, this study aims to understand export readiness through exploring what capabilities early-exporters develop to overcome export barriers in the context of Finnish transport and mobility SMEs.
This study is based on three theoretical concepts. First, the current literature on export readiness is revised to introduce the concept and set a basis for the theoretical framework of this thesis. Secondly, current literature on export barriers is explored with focus on SMEs early-export stages. Finally, SME capabilities for increased export performance are compiled as suggested ways to combat early-export barriers. Based on these concepts, this thesis proposes a framework for export readiness to be applied in the empirical section.
The research of this thesis is carried out as a qualitative multiple case study. In total, nine Finnish transport and mobility sector SMEs were interviewed for this study in semi-structured interviews. The interview data is analyzed through Gioia method with first-level coding of individual answers, followed by a second-level coding that groups first-level findings under shared themes, and finally by creating higher-level aggregate dimensions to report the study findings.
This study links SMEs export barriers and capabilities by showcasing which capabilities and resources SMEs are utilizing in their efforts of overcoming specific export barriers to become export ready. Based on these findings this thesis introduces a revised framework for SME export readiness.
This thesis finds that SMEs are mainly constrained by their internal barriers in their early export stages. The findings also suggest that SMEs combat export barriers and become export ready through a dynamic process. This develops through SMEs’ strategic commitment to exporting, utilizing external export funding, involvement in networks, market-entry strategies, as well as active sales and engagement with markets. Both findings have implications for theory, managers, and policymakers to better understand SMEs’ export readiness.