An analysis of factors that influence the decision to export: perspective of Brazilian companies

PurposeThe objective of this work is to examine the factors that influence the decision of Brazilian companies to export.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire was used to collect data from a statistically significant sample of 318 Brazilian exporting firms. Three types of study were carried out; an exploratory study that simplified the information through a principal component analysis, a descriptive study of the factors that influence the decision to export by Brazilian companies and a study of variance that allowed comparison of groups of firms.FindingsAfter an analysis of the literature, 11 factors were proposed that influence the decision to export. Two unique factors resulted from the principal components analysis: “resource optimisation” and “performance and development”. The “performance and development” factor was more valued than the “resource optimisation” factor. From the analysis of variance, significant differences were only found in the variable “firm size”.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature by presenting further knowledge of export factors in developing countries, the management of companies and instruments for decision making in the area of internationalisation.