Paper info

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS, NETWORKS AND EXPORT PERFORMANCE

JOSE BRACHE and CHRISTIAN FELZENSZTEIN

The paper was published at the 32nd IMP-conference in Poznan, Poland in 2016.

By drawing on the literature of networks and cooperation, this research addresses the effects of the firm´s level of engagement with trade associations located at the company´s export market on export performance. In addition, it gauges the moderating effects that such level of engagement exerts on the firm´s perceived environmental uncertainty on customer needs. The authors analyze firm-level data from a South American emerging economy and report that a stronger engagement with trade associations located at the company´s export market has a positive effect on export performance. Environmental uncertainty on customer needs is confirmed as an export performance barrier, but unexpectedly, this obstacle only diminishes in a negligible factor as the level of engagement with trade associations located at the firm´s export market increases. This research contributes to the literature by investigating the direct and moderating effects of institutional overseas networks on the firm´s export performance, and by scrutinizing on the distinctions among the cooperation determinants of local networks and networks situated at the firm´s export market. Implications for policy makers and practitioners are discussed.