Abstract:

This paper aims to outline the role of government support in eliminating export barriers among young entrepreneurial firms. It identifies critical barriers to export and examines government support policies in overcoming those barriers.The critical barriers faced by young entrepreneurial firms were identified through in-depth interview with 18 firms across different industries. Further to that, government support and its direction were also discussed. Insightful recommendations are proposed in relation to government support programmes to lower export barriers among young entrepreneurial firms. A conceptual model was proposed to summarise the findings. This paper provides useful information for SMEs to be aware of export barriers and government support which leads them think strategically in developing sustainable presence in international markets.  This study is among the few focusing on offering the unique insights for young entrepreneurial firm to understand the potential barriers for internationalisation and insights for policy makers.