The influence of export information use on export knowledge and performance

Purpose – To test empirical relationships between export market information use and export knowledge and export performance. Design/methodology/approach – Confirmatory factor analysis, using LISREL 8.50, based on a postal survey. The setting selected was the Norwegian seafood industry, mainly consisting of a number of small and medium‐sized firms with a strong export dependency. Findings – The results indicate that “instrumental/conceptual” use of information positively affects both export knowledge and export performance, while “symbolic” use does not affect either. Export knowledge is found to have no direct influence on export performance in this study. Research limitations/implications – For generalisation purposes, longitudinal studies in multiple settings would be preferable to this cross‐sectional survey in a specific setting. Practical implications – Firms accumulate knowledge and expertise by integrating and incorporating information that has been processed, interpreted and used. This study underscores the importance, for success in export markets, of a commitment to systematically generating, disseminating and responding to export market information. There are clear implications for the management of market intelligence and planning, to enhance the firm's performance. Originality/value – Provides a better understanding of export market information use and its consequences, by integrating it with the concepts of export knowledge and export performance, and testing their structural relations.