Managerial attention and export performance: A comparison between mMNEs and pure SME exporters

This paper explores the role of managerial attention in influencing the export performance of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Building on the attention-based view and theories of SME internationalization, we hypothesize that SMEs’ export performance will vary with their managers’ international attention. At the same time, as SMEs are not homogenous, a distinction is made between SMEs that are solely exporting and those that use higher-commitment modes beyond exporting or so called ‘micromultinationals (mMNEs)’. We test our ideas using a unique dataset of international SMEs from the Netherlands. Findings indicate that there is a significant positive association between the level of managers’ international attention and the firm’s export performance, and that the relationship is stronger for mMNEs than pure SME exporters.