An Empirical Investigation of the differences between Initiating and Continuing Exporters.

This article focuses on a study that explores the characteristics of small and medium-sized initiating and continuing exporting firms. Many of the firms in Canada have already identified and successfully exploited markets overseas, especially in the U.S., by drawing on their ability to react quickly to market opportunities, cultivating "provided" niches which were not of interest to larger firms or by relying on unique technological innovations. Insights gained from studying the non-exporting firms are used in redefining the thrust of the many agencies that aim to stimulate exports by small/medium-sized firms. As the U.S. is the most popular initial export market for an overwhelming number of Canadian companies, the impact of the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the U.S. is also discussed since it creates a framework for future trading relationships between the two countries. The Closer Economic Relations agreement between New Zealand and Australia, the ASEAN and the relationships between Japan and South Korea and China and Hong Kong are cited as examples of this phenomenon.