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The purpose of this study is to examine whether differences exist between low and high export intensity Tanzanian internationalising small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in respect of their perceived competitiveness in overseas markets. In this study, export intensity, i.e. the percentage exports make towards total turnover, is viewed as a representation of firms' commitment to serving overseas markets.

The methodology employed a quantitative phase involving a questionnaire completed by 205 Tanzanian SMEs; 112 low intensity (exporting less than 50 per cent of their sales) in comparison with 93 high intensity exporting firms (exporting 50 per cent or more of their sales); also a qualitative phase of interviews with international entrepreneurs in 23 firms.

The findings provide an initial understanding of the two types of firms' patterns of internationalisation and, more specifically, statistically significant issues are identified in respect of items perceived as affecting their competitiveness in overseas markets, including the extent to which they concentrated on serving key markets rather than diversifying risk over a number of markets.

The results offer insights into the practices of Tanzanian exporting firms and recommendations for policy makers as well as an indication for further research.

This research study explores managerial practices of particular types of firms in Tanzania, which have been largely viewed from a developed as opposed to a developing African country perspective.

The purpose of this research is to investigate differences in the perceived performance and competitiveness of “successful” family and non‐family‐owned firms in overseas markets.

This paper reports on findings from a postal survey and subsequent interviews involving managers of firms that are winners of the UK Queen's Award for Export.

Statistical analysis and follow‐up interviews establish that limited differences exist between high performing family and non‐family‐owned SMEs in respect of measures and sources of performance.

The data were based on a sample of firms judged to have been successful and therefore the usefulness of the sampling frame is questionable based on the criteria of the award's committee.

The findings indicate that small family‐owned businesses can be just as competitive in overseas markets as their non family‐owned counterparts, assuming that an effective strategy is employed. These can serve as useful role models.

Prior research has focused on general surveys and has not explicitly investigated differences between family and non‐family‐owned higher performing firms.

The purpose of this paper is to report on service and service-intensive New Zealand-based internationalising firms in respect of their managers’ perceptions towards the usefulness of government assistance.

Interviews were undertaken with the key decision makers in 66 service and service-intensive firms.

Positive perceptions were found relating to government support at a macro-level; for example, Ministerial visits that open opportunities for managers in overseas markets. This was found to enhance micro-level support, such as individual assistance programmes.

The contribution is at the public/private sector interaction within the international marketing literature; the area of originality involves the consideration of support at the macro, as opposed to micro-level, as this is an issue that has not received a great deal of coverage in earlier studies. A contextual aspect of originality relates to the study being undertaken with service and service-intensive firms in comparison to the manufacturing sector that has featured heavily in earlier literature.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how decision making and learning are related to marketing planning among owner/managers with lifestyle in comparison to growth-oriented objectives in the New Zealand wine industry.

The study reports on 12 interviews with owner/managers of New Zealand vineyards. The vineyards were small to medium sized and independently owned to avoid bias from parent company decision making within larger scale corporate wine producers.

Different degrees of causation and effectuation-based decision making were found to exist among owner/managers starting from the nascent stage in their respective marketing planning processes. Learning to different degrees was evident in order to remain competitive in a climate of uncertainty and not least of which due to problematic exchange rates. An important issue influencing decision making was whether owner/managers were running the vineyard to maintain a lifestyle or a growth strategy; an issue affecting perceptions of risks and rewards.

The originality of the study is that it employs an effectuation lens in respect of the marketing planning process; specifically, decision making among owner/managers with differing objectives, experience and perceptions of risks and rewards.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate aspects of causation and effectuation decision-making in respect of the planned and unplanned nature of the internationalization strategies of a small sample of rapidly internationalizing, high-tech UK small and medium enterprises (SMEs). These exhibit four different rates of scale of international intensity (percentage of overseas sales to total sales) and market scope (geographical coverage and commitment).

Interviews with managers of 16 independently owned high-technology-oriented manufacturing SMEs were undertaken in this investigation to reduce the potential effect of bias from parental decision-making and firm size, also trade sectoral conditions. These were drawn from an existing database.

Aspects of both causation and effectuation logic were evident in planned and unplanned aspects of decision-making. Moreover, industry factors were seen to affect internationalization strategies in various ways and not least in respect of the need to exploit windows of opportunity in international niche markets and the usefulness of utilizing managers’ experience and networks in the sector in which firms operated.

The contribution of this study is to build on earlier work where authors have used different terminology to describe firms that have internationalized soon after their foundation. Specifically, with respect to the planned versus unplanned nature of respective internationalization strategies and the causation as opposed to effectuation logic in decision-making.

This paper aims to investigate UK based, family‐owned, Asian firms' motives for internationalising.

This paper reports on eight interviews with the key decision‐makers in UK based, Asian, family‐owned firms.

Differences were found between two groups of firms: first, “internationally oriented Asian entrepreneurs” were those whose manufacturing operations were based in the UK but whose businesses were involved in overseas sales; second, “transnational entrepreneurs” were those who operated in two socially embedded environments and leveraged their family's resources in their country of origin in order to serve overseas markets.

The contribution of this paper is that it offers socio‐cultural insights into issues that motivated these firms to internationalise and especially those that outsourced operations to the Indian sub‐continent.

Provides an overview of the special issue of the European Journal of Marketing on “Export marketing”. Five basic questions to be answered in the export marketing area are identified. The articles in this special issue should provide a significant stimulus to further conceptual thinking addressed at these export decisions. Discusses policy implications. Developments in policy models await parallel developments in models of export decisions and processes.