Export motivations and barriers: a case study of Greek firms exporting to four south-eastern European countries

Foreign market entry can play a very important role in a nation's economic prosperity. This study concentrates on the evaluation of specific characteristics of the export decision process and is focused on factors that stimulate firms to export or inhibit them from doing so. The analysis is accomplished by using a sample of 40 listed firms on the Athens Stock Exchange involved in making exports to four South-Eastern European (SEE) countries (the Balkans): Albania, Bulgaria, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Romania. The research is based on a questionnaire which has provided several insights into export motivations and barriers. It uses the principal component factor analysis technique in order to investigate common factors that might explain the underlying beliefs about the perceived variables.