Relationship among government export support, perceived export stimuli, barriers and export performance

An increase in Vietnamese agricultural export performance can contribute to the decrease in trade deficit with ASEAN + 3. In order to achieve it, some factors affecting export performance should be studied. The research model is proposed to indicate the direct relationship between government support and export performance and the indirect relationship between government support and export performance through perceived export stimuli and perceived export barriers. Smart-PLS software was used to test the collected data from 257 SMEs exporting agricultural products to ASEAN + 3. Findings show that there is not only a direct effect of government export support on export performance but also an indirect effect through perceived internal export stimuli. Besides, there is an indirect relationship between government support and perceived internal export barriers through perceived internal and external export stimuli. Based on findings, the research draws key implications for managers and policymakers. However, because of difficulty to approach SMEs’ managers, the research has some limitations including sample size and sample taking method (convenience and snowball).