Abstract:

The Kingdom of Morocco has been on the path of global trade openness for the past three decades. However, the abrupt changes and the increasing competition are hindering firms’ internationalization and export success. The purpose of this research study is to explore the determinants of export performance in small and medium-sized Moroccan enterprises (SMEs). This study includes a qualitative research design to conduct eleven semi-structured interviews with firms’ owners and export managers from different industrial industries around the country. Findings of the interviews show on one hand that firm location, family business, network capability, international internet marketing are all internal variables impacting firms’ performance. On the other hand, Governmental Export Promotion Programs (EPPs) are highly beneficial but hard to access, while foreign market competitive intensity is also an external variable that firms appear to be cognizant about.