Managerial Determinants of Export Performance: An Updated Meta-Analytic Review of Attitudinal and Skill-Based Factors

Abstract

Exporting remains the most widely used and accessible strategy for firms seeking entry into international markets, yet the understanding of what drives export performance continues to be fragmented. Although numerous studies have examined managerial influences on export outcomes, empirical findings remain inconsistent and sometimes contradictory. This paper provides an updated meta-analytic synthesis of research published between 1990 and 2012, focusing specifically on managerial determinants of export performance. Managerial characteristics are organized into two overarching categories: attitudinal factors management commitment, international orientation, customer orientation, and perceptions of export stimuli and barriers and skill-based factors, including export experience, foreign-language proficiency, and education level. Using the vote-counting method, studies were classified based on whether they reported positive, negative, or non-significant relationships between these variables and export success. The meta-synthesis reveals that attitudinal determinants, particularly management commitment and international orientation, show strong and consistent positive associations with export performance across the reviewed literature. Skill-based factors also contribute positively, although export experience shows mixed results. A refined conceptual framework is proposed to clarify how managerial mindsets and competencies jointly affect export outcomes. While the vote-counting method provides a clear directional summary of empirical evidence, it does not account for study quality or estimate effect sizes. Future research should incorporate quantitative meta-analysis and quality-weighted models to obtain more precise effect estimations. This study contributes a structured and integrated perspective on how managerial determinants influence export performance and offers meaningful implications for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers concerned with firm competitiveness in global markets.