Effect of export financing resources and supply-chain skills on export competitive advantages : implications for superior export performance

Although many studies have sought to discover the determinants of superior export performance, far less attention was given to the sources of competitive advantage and the resources or capabilities required to build up competitive advantage in export markets. To address these issues in the export competitive advantage literature, this study utilized the resource-based theory of the firm to conceptualize export competitive advantages as the outcomes of how management conceptualizes the firm’s resource base and how management leverages the firm’s core competencies to grow over time. This study also postulated that creating export competitive advantages can be expected to bring along superior export performance. Empirically, this study identified export financing resources and export supply-chain management skills as significant contributors to both low-cost and high-differentiation export competitive advantages. Furthermore, this study maintained that management’s perceived export advantages seem to be an important determinant of export performance.