Export Development and Perceived Export Barriers: An Empirical Analysis of Small Firms.

The article presents an empirical analysis of export development and perceived export barriers of small firms in the U.S. An important consideration in this study was the selection of obstacles that might be perceived to be barriers. Based on the previous research fifteen barrier questions were designed. The items included: lack of the U.S. government assistance to overcoming barriers, lack of tax incentives for U.S. exporters, high value of the dollar, aggressive enforcement of the U.S. Corrupt Practices Act, risks involved in selling abroad, American emphasis on developing the U.S. market, uncertainty of shipping costs, complexity of shipping service to overseas buyers, competition, and complexity of trade documentation. The study provides three contributions: first, a five factor barrier scale is developed based on prior research; second, this study empirically relates perception of export barriers to stage of export development; and third, an explanation that holds promise for reconciling past inconsistencies in the literature has been developed based on the results of the study.