development of export strategies; electronic communications to support
networks and so on (see Table VI).
The internationalization process
The extensive literature under this heading has focused on two inter-related
issues, namely, examination of the initiating factors which motivate nonexporters
to begin exporting and research on the internationalization process.
As regards the former, one model views the SME’s decision to begin exporting as
being the “mental process through which an individual decision maker passes
from knowing about the possibility of exporting (the initial exposure to the idea)
to acting upon the opportunity” (Jatusripitak, 1986). The process starts with the
decision-maker’s initial exposure to the idea and awareness of its importance to
the firm’s business performance, then moves through the information search
stage to the evaluation and adoption stages (i.e. the final decision to export). Four
main steps are involved, namely: triggering cues which arouse the firm’s
awareness of the importance of exporting; information search whereby the firm