Publication
Characteristics of SME service exporters : Business support and barriers
Published: 9 November 2026
ERC Research paper 126
Associated Themes
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Longitudinal Small Business Survey
The limited evidence base concerning the characteristics of service firms beyond firm size pointsto a significant knowledge gap regarding the nature of service exporters and the types of assistancemost effective in supporting them. Although current studies suggest that export promotionmechanisms can positively affect export intensity, there is a lack of research on whether theseeffects continue beyond the intervention. Furthermore, there is no clarity on whether supportmechanisms, such as export advice and finance help service SMEs exporters to reduce obstacles.Therefore, this research has three main objectives:
1.Understand who the exporters of services are by characteristics including gender,ethnicity, location, business size, experience, and ownership type.
2.Determine how business support (e.g., business advice and external finance)influences the intention and behaviour of SMEs to expand abroad.
3.Define what types of obstacles affect the export intensity of exporters of services and the role of export promotion services in overcoming these barriers to trade
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