Initiating exporting: The role of managerial motivation in small to medium enterprises

The initiation and continuation of exporting activities of small to medium businesses continue to lag expectations. Assistance in the form of subsidies and financial resources does not seem to spur the initiation of exporting. Using observations of the exporting activities of small to medium companies as the dependent variable, this research examines managerial motivations behind initiating exporting activities. Using the theoretical lens of expectancy theory, this research examines and tests several antecedents to initiation of exporting in a structural equation model. Outcomes suggest that expectancy and valence influence the initiation of exporting. International market orientation, resource availability, and affinity to internationalization all influence the components of motivation. •We measure objective export performance of 47 small to medium companies.•We examine the influence of managerial motivation on initiating exporting.•Results highlight the importance of managerial motivation on export activities.•Simultaneously increasing expectancy, instrumentality, and valence about exporting raise managerial motivation.