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The purpose of this paper is to examine the managerial determinants of the export success of Moroccan small and medium enterprises (SMEs) based on resource-based view (RBV) of a firm.

The quantitative design was employed involving a questionnaire completed by 100 managers of Moroccan SMEs. Multiple regression analyses were carried out to confirm or reject eight hypotheses.

It was found that management export commitment and management customer orientation are the main managerial factors in the export success of Moroccan SMEs.

The study was limited to one context, and it followed a cross-sectional approach. Export success was measured by only subjective method with Likert scale. The study suggests that further investigations can be made to incorporate other factors affecting export success.

The results offer insights into the practices of Moroccan exporting SMEs and recommendations for policy makers as well as an indication for further research. The research can also be used in teaching.

First, the tested model is one of few that consider developing country contexts. Second, this research can serve as a guide for future researchers who intend to study export success in other developing countries, particularly in Maghreb regions where there is a gross dearth of research. Therefore, the study is of significant value to practitioners and scholars alike.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the global financial crisis (GFC) on Morocco’s export performance employing a gravity model framework.

The authors investigate trade flows between Morocco and its 18 major trading partners from 2001 to 2015. The authors employ a trade gravity model using a first-order Taylor approximation of multilateral resistance terms and estimate by OLS and PPML.

Morocco’s export performance was affected by the GFC. The authors find evidence that the fall in aggregate demand from Morocco’s trading partners, particularly in Europe, led to a fall in its exports. The authors also find that Morocco’s exports are positively correlated with the market size of its partner but negatively associated with distance.

This study contributes to the literature in two distinct ways. First, it examines variables affecting export performance in one of the emerging markets in the Middle East and North Africa region. Second, it assesses empirically whether there is a relationship between the GFC and the decline in Moroccan exports. The study also provides a number of important implications for policy makers and academics.

This paper aims to examine the specific role that partnerships play in the relationship between adaptation strategy, international experience, and export performance of handicraft firms in an emerging country setting. The authors' purpose is to identify the key factors that may contribute to the success of export activities of small handicraft companies in international markets.

Drawing on a non-probability sampling technique, the authors collected survey data from 410 handicraft companies located in Morocco. The authors' conceptual model, which draws on the network theory, was tested using covariance-based Structural Equation Modeling by means of AMOS 24 Software.

The results indicate that adaptation marketing strategy and partnerships impact positively the export performance of handicraft firms. Partnerships also play an intermediary role by partially (fully) mediating the relationship between adaptation strategy (international experience) and export performance.

This study may assist marketers and entrepreneurs in handicraft companies to better understand the causal relationship between adaptation strategy, marketing experience and export performance of entrepreneurs' firms. Managers in these companies should be aware of the importance that partnerships play in boosting the export performance through marketing practices and experience.

The authors' paper contributes to the scant literature on the adaptation marketing strategy and export performance and the intermediary role of partnerships in the specific context of handicraft businesses operating in North African emerging markets, namely Morocco.

Building industrial clusters is getting much more political attention and strategic orientation in all developing countries. This study started by revising the conceptual and theoretical frameworks for industrial clusters, followed by some insights and contributions about empirical bases for clusters' dynamics and processes. The study focused on the case of Agadir Agreement between four Arab countries (Egypt, Jordon, Morocco, and Tunisia), which was initiated after the Euro-Mediterranean partnerships, and the rationale of the agreement was based on the concept of cumulative value-added origin. The study based its methodology on analyzing the international and bilateral trade flows of six industrial goods from the automotive sector among the four countries and with the EU countries to detect the degree of industrial collaboration and the achieved success of each country in this sector. The study indicated that the four countries used the concept of industrial clusters for economic development, but the results of the analysis showed that till now Agadir Agreement only achieved a shallow integration, while failed to deeply integrate as one big collaborative industrial cluster.

The aim of this paper is to fill a gap in the foreign‐exchange trading risk‐management literature and particularly from the perspective of emerging and illiquid markets, such as in the context of the Moroccan foreign‐exchange market.

This paper, demonstrates a constructive approach, for the management of trading risk exposure of foreign‐exchange securities, which takes into account proper adjustments for the illiquidity of both long and short trading positions. The approach is based on the renowned concept of value at risk (VaR) along with the innovation of a software tool utilizing matrix‐algebra and other optimization techniques.

Several case studies, on the Moroccan Dirham, were achieved with the objective of setting‐up a practical framework of trading risk measurement, management and control reports, in addition to the inception of a practical procedure for the calculation of optimum VaR limits structure.

In this work, the risk‐management procedures that are discussed will aid financial markets' participants, regulators and policymakers, operating within emerging economies, in founding sound and proactive policies to handle foreign‐exchange trading risk exposures. The document includes comprehensive theory, analyses sections, conclusions and recommendations, and full real‐world foreign‐exchange trading risk‐management reports.

Although a substantial literature has examined the statistical and economic meaning of VaR models, this article provides real‐world techniques and optimum asset allocation strategies that are useful for trading portfolios in emerging and illiquid financial markets. This is with the objective of setting‐up the basis of a proactive methodology/procedure for the measurement, management and control of foreign‐exchange exposures in the day‐to‐day trading operations.

The purpose of this article is to address certain gaps and contribute to enriching the literature on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in Africa; describe the phenomenon taking into account the particularity of the country; address recommendations to public policies and investors and make this article a ground-breaking article on research into the phenomenon of the M&A market in North Africa.

With description and an exploratory intention, the authors develop phenomenon driven research. As appropriate phenomenon driven research, the authors focus on characteristics of Moroccan M&A market. The authors use scientific investigation to provide descriptions and explanations of the phenomena in order to add a new perspective to the M&A literature in North African region. The authors work on the particularity of companies in Morocco, typology of M&A, geographic areas, socio-economic indicators, trade agreements, politics and culture.

Understand that the phenomenon of domestic M&A is a phenomenon of big cities and knows the participation of small and medium enterprises. The political variable, the trade agreements and the socio-economic weight of the countries influence the cross-border M&A in to out. Sharing a border and common culture has no impact on cross-border M&A but the history of colonization has an impact.

The scientific contribution is first an extension of the neoclassical theory on the initiation of M&A operations. Throughout these 29 years of history, the existence of external shocks such as regulations has influenced the activity of M&A operations. Privatization, partial opening of sectors to foreign investment tax incentives have contributed to the realization of M&A operations.

This paper also has an economic and practical contribution, as it informs about the absence of M&A operation in the agriculture and agri-food sector in Sub-Saharan Africa. This region recognizes a food shortage that will increase by 70–100% between 2010 and 2050 with a strong population growth. The authors also note that regulations, royal directives, influence the activity and geographic choices of M&A. The political variable remains decisive for the cross-border M&A activity between Morocco and Algeria, but encourages acquisitions in countries in West and Central Africa.

M&A research in Africa is poor and suffers from several shortcomings; these barriers push researchers to produce fewer papers on this phenomenon. Through data collection, description and explanation, the authors tried to produce a paper focusing on the M&A phenomenon in a country in North Africa. To the authors’ knowledge, no article has dealt with this phenomenon in this country which is known for its strong M&A activity.

Although recent literature has examined diverse measures adopted by SMEs to navigate the COVID-19 turbulence, there is a shortage of evidence on how crisis-time strategy creation behaviour and digitalization activities increase (1) sales and (2) cash flow. Thus, predicated on a novel strategy creation perspective, this inquiry aims to investigate the crisis behaviour, sales and cash flow performance of 528 SMEs in Morocco.

Novel links between (1) aggregate wage cuts, (2) variable operating hours, (3) deferred payment to suppliers, (4) deferred payment to tax authorities and (5) sales performance are developed and tested. A further link between sales performance and cash flow is also examined and the analysis is conducted using a non-linear structural equation modelling technique.

While there is a significant association between strategy creation behaviours and sales performance, only variable operating hours have a positive effect. Also, sales performance increases cash flow and this relationship is substantially strengthened by e-commerce digitalization and innovation.

Theoretically, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first inquiries to espouse the strategy creation view to explain SMEs' crisis-time behaviour and digitalization. For practical purposes, to supplement Moroccan SMEs' propensity to seek tax deferrals, it is argued that debt and equity support measures are also needed to boost sales performance and cash flow.