Export Behaviour Research in the UK: A Review

Abstract

Serious academic inquiry into the export behaviour of UK firms dates back to the 1960s, marked by the publication of Tookey’s (1964) research on export success factors. Yet no attempt has been made, as far as the present authors are aware, to appraise the state of this research field, or to understand the crucial influences on firms’ export behaviour in the UK context. The Bolton Committee’s (1971) report was a good effort in this direction, but its general focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) meant that not enough attention was paid to firms’ export behaviour. This chapter intends to redress this situation as part of the wider focus, in Part Four of this book, on the performance of international business operations. It will follow in the tradition of the Bolton Committee’s report to seek some understanding of UK SMEs’ need for, usage of and perceptions of government export promotion programmes.