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Was the Help Enough?: A Systematic Literature Review on Governmental Support of Small Medium Enterprises’ Export Performance

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  • Zurina Omar

    (Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia 86400 Parit Raja Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia Universiti Teknologi Mara Cawangan Johor, Jalan Universiti Off KM 12, 85000 Segamat, Johor, Malaysia)

  • Norhadilah Abdul Hamid

    (Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia 86400 Parit Raja Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia)

  • Farizah Mamat @ Mohd Nor

    (Universiti Teknologi Mara Cawangan Johor, Jalan Universiti Off KM 12, 85000 Segamat, Johor, Malaysia)

Abstract

Government support ensures the export performance of mid-sized enterprises, especially in an intense global environment. Despite the abundance of research on governmental assistance for SMEs’ export success, conducting a comprehensive review of this subject has proven difficult due to the absence of review protocols that are complex for scholars to comprehend and reproduce. This study performs a thorough literature review on governmental support for SMEs’ export performance. The procedure comprises five stages: reviewing the protocol, defining research questions, identifying, screening, and determining eligibility for systematic research strategies, and the systematic research of literature based on two authentic databases, namely Web of Sciences and Scopus. This analysis advances the current literature by systematically classifying government support into financial and non-financial assistance, with the latter subdivided into five distinct types including (1) information, (2) marketing, (3) training, (4) trade, and (5) foreign office use support. This classification provides a systematic framework for comprehending the many types of support accessible to SME exporters. This research highlights the essential importance of non-financial support systems in enhancing SMEs’ export performance, in contrast to earlier studies that mainly focused on financial support.

Suggested Citation

  • Zurina Omar & Norhadilah Abdul Hamid & Farizah Mamat @ Mohd Nor, 2025. "Was the Help Enough?: A Systematic Literature Review on Governmental Support of Small Medium Enterprises’ Export Performance," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 9(3), pages 2558-2567, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:9:y:2025:issue-3:p:2558-2567
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Oscar Malca & Jesús Peña-Vinces & Francisco J Acedo, 2020. "Export promotion programmes as export performance catalysts for SMEs: insights from an emerging economy," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 55(3), pages 831-851, October.
    2. Antonio Moreira & Eurico Navaia & Cláudia Ribau, 2022. "Moderation Effects of Government Institutional Support, Active and Reactive Internationalization Behavior on Innovation Capability and Export Performance," Economies, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-17, July.
    3. Anisur Faroque & Hafiza Sultana & Jashim Uddin Ahmed & Farhad Uddin Ahmed & Mahabubur Rahman, 2022. "The standalone and resource-bundling effects of government and nongovernment institutional support on early internationalizing firms’ performance," Post-Print hal-03647639, HAL.
    4. Simona Comi & Laura Resmini, 2020. "Are export promotion programs effective in promoting the internalization of SMEs?," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 37(2), pages 547-581, July.
    5. Jorge Mota & António Moreira & Alexandra Alves, 2021. "Impact of Export Promotion Programs on Export Performance," Economies, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-16, September.
    6. Falahat, Mohammad & Lee, Yan Yin & Ramayah, T. & Soto-Acosta, Pedro, 2020. "Modelling the effects of institutional support and international knowledge on competitive capabilities and international performance: Evidence from an emerging economy," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(4).
    7. Hye-Young Joo & Hyunsuk Suh, 2017. "The Effects of Government Support on Corporate Performance Hedging against International Environmental Regulation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-25, October.
    8. Xiaoting Wang & Aihua Chen & Huafeng Wang & Shengxiao Li, 2017. "Effect of export promotion programs on export performance: evidence from manufacturing SMEs," Journal of Business Economics and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(1), pages 131-145, January.
    9. Mário Nuno Mata & Mohammad Falahat & Anabela Batista Correia & João Xavier Rita, 2021. "Impact of Institutional Support on Export Performance," Economies, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-13, July.
    10. Jeong Hugh Han & Hyun-Yong Park, 2019. "Sustaining Small Exporters’ Performance: Capturing Heterogeneous Effects of Government Export Assistance Programs on Global Value Chain Informedness," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-24, April.
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