Supporting SMEs internationalisation: impact of government export assistance programmes on firms' export performance

This study reports on an empirical investigation into managers' behaviour of Malaysian SMEs and their perception about selected export assistance programmes. Specifically, it investigates the awareness, the usage, the satisfaction and the benefits of the assistance schemes offered by the Malaysian government and its supporting agencies on the development of firms' export performance. The data were collected through a mail questionnaire that was sent to 150 selected business owners of SMEs that engage in international business, resulting in a total of 54 firms completing the questionnaire. Findings from the study disclosed that although business owners/managers in Malaysian SMEs were aware of such schemes and perceived the assistance of export programmes as important for enhancing business export performance, the usage of the export programmes remains low. It appears that much more effort should be accorded by the government and relevant parties to promote and encourage SMEs to utilise the programmes. The implications and improvement options for increasing the efficiency of government support programmes are also discussed.