PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse the environmental scanning practices and information sources used by large companies as well as by small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), the latter being relatively absent from scientific scrutiny. In doing so, it endeavours to contribute to a better understanding of the scanning and information‐gathering behaviour of SMEs, in order to develop measures to overcome their potential disadvantages in this respect.Design/methodology/approachData were obtained from 165 Portuguese firms. Respondents were required to evaluate their use of 11 different environmental scanning practices and 12 information sources. For data analysis, the variables were classified using principal component analysis. Subsequently, the retained components and variables underwent a one‐way variance analysis.FindingsResults indicate that smaller firms do not scan as broadly and as frequently as their larger counterparts. Although external information sources are used equally by larger and smaller enterprises, in general there is also a positive relationship between the exploitation of information sources and firm size.Research limitations/implicationsFindings are taken from the Portuguese context, with its own idiosyncratic economic structure and climate. Generalisations should therefore be made with caution.Practical implicationsAs the “size effect” influences the propensity for environmental scanning, SMEs are urged to adopt inter‐firm strategies in order to achieve a critical mass. The importance of building scanning and information networks among SMEs must be highlighted.Originality/valueResearch on environmental scanning in SMEs and comparative studies of the firm size effect have been relatively scarce. The findings reveal that firm size matters, insofar as the use of different scanning practices and information sources mostly augments with increasing firm size.

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to evaluate the practices of economic intelligence used by Portuguese firms and to identify the attributes that may increase the probability of their adoption.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire was designed and addressed to the CEOs of Portuguese firms. The authors used the mixed logit method to select a number of significant variables that influence the use of economic intelligence by firms in the sample.FindingsFrom the results, the authors concluded that firm size, information and environmental scanning connected to the markets, social networks, economic diplomacy and public policies, namely clusters and industrial policies in the context of competitive intelligence, were some of the attributes relevant in this study. It is concluded that the probability of firms adopting competitive intelligence practices lies in two spheres: in orientations of business policy and strategy and in public policies that improve business context in the perspective of competitive intelligence.Research limitations/implicationsThe different categories of attributes that explain the existence of economic intelligence practices are relatively limited when compared with studies made outside Portugal. This derives from specific factors tied to Portuguese entrepreneurial culture.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature on this area of research. One of the innovations introduced here was the design of a conceptual model proposal integrating business and public policy approaches connected to the competitive intelligence and, consequently, the capacity to formulate entrepreneurial strategies and public policies geared for the adoption of competitive intelligence procedures.

This study aims to explore the importance of export barriers and to achieve this by comparing different industry types and firm sizes. We performed a cross-sectional study of 529 Portuguese export firms drawn from the database held by a Portuguese Industrial Association – Business Confederation. From multivariate analysis of variance and the Tukey’s HSD (Honestly Significant Difference) test, we conclude that the more important export barriers mentioned by the firms proved more external than internal. Our results also show that the service and retail trade sectors were the sectors reporting the greatest peculiarities regarding export barriers. Thus, we identify an “industry effect” as regards export barriers even while our findings do not indicate any “size effect”. Knowing the industry-specific export barriers enables companies not only to better coordinate and perform export processes but also to better anticipate the behaviour of their competitors. Other practical and theoretical implications will also be presented.

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The chapter focuses on the role of the Triple Helix model that binds companies/business associations with the universities/research centers and the government at different levels, which has been widely used for policy purposes. This work examines the internationalization process of firms within the context of global value chains, and the study case is the Health Cluster of Portugal. The authors show that the recourse to the model is relevant to understand this industry, most notably in the regional context. However, on the basis of the case study, not all aspects of the relationships within the model attain the same level of satisfaction. It is concluded that the model enables the associated firms to more easily absorb the impact of the 4th Industrial Revolution but important challenges remain in the advance of this process.