Reaching Out: Exploring SME Exporting Opportunities and Challenges

Edward J. Chambers and Williams J. Shaw ()
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Edward J. Chambers: Western Centre for Economic Research
Williams J. Shaw: Western Centre for Economic Research

No 1109, Information Bulletins from Western Centre for Economic Research

Abstract: This study by the Western Centre for Economic Research (WCER) examines small business exports to US and other international markets based on a 2007 survey of 387 firms with less than 100 employees. Most firms were in the manufacturing sector, supplemented by a few firms in professional and technical services. All participants were existing or past exporters and apart from a sprinkling of start-ups, most firms in the survey were well established. Our research was organized around four themes: the role of exports in growth strategies; the marketing chain and how firms find export markets; perceived barriers to exporting (including the thickening Canada-US border since 9/11); and indirect exporting and the role of foreign suppliers. Most of our findings did not differ by province; but where they did, the differences are noted. For interested readers, findings for each province are presented in the appendices. Our findings suggest that there is a strong role for public policy in improving Western Canada’s export performance and in addressing some of the particular challenges and barriers identified by respondents.

Keywords: Small Business; Exporting; Export Challenges; Policy Recommendation; SME; Alberta; Western Canada (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: R11 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 76 pages
Date: 2008-04
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:alb:series:1109

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