Export performance : evidence from agricultural product firms in Vietnam

This study defines and measures the key factors driving the export performance of agricultural product firms in Vietnam. It uses both qualitative and quantitative research: (i) the qualitative research is carried out through focus group discussions with 10 chief executive officers of firms (5 rice-exporting firms and 5 coffee-exporting firms) and (ii) the quantitative research is conducted through direct interviews with 232 owners or export managers of firms (rice-exporting and coffee-exporting firms) in Vietnam. The results show the following: (i) Export performance is affected by marketing strategies, the characteristics and capabilities of firms, management characteristics, domestic market characteristics, foreign market characteristics, and export barriers. (ii) Marketing strategies are affected by the characteristics and capabilities of firms, management characteristics, and foreign market characteristics. However, the research has certain limitations: (i) Due to limited resources in conducting the research, the sample size consisted of only 232 firms. (ii) This study employed the sampling technique of direct and email interview methods.