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Context matters in International Business, but to what extent does it influence the content of knowledge? This study offers a systematic literature review on the internationalization of New Zealand firms. A geographically isolated small open economy (SMOPEC) with audacious trade aspirations, a strong domestic institutional environment, favorable attitude toward trade, and entrepreneurial small-to-medium size enterprises (SMEs), New Zealand provides an enlightening context to study internationalization. Using a sample of 95 studies, the review identifies antecedents, stimuli, capabilities, strategy, process and outcomes underpinning internationalizing New Zealand firms (INZFs). Context matters but not in the manner anticipated. On one hand research on the internationalization of New Zealand firms is largely congruent with extant knowledge, on the other the New Zealand context shapes uniquely, how and what scholars choose to research.

This study revisits the stage model dialogue by testing seven hypotheses on the relationship between stages of export development and the infl uence of export barriers. Empirical data are based on a sample of 145 New Zealand fi rms, and the analysis combines a six-stage framework with an illustrative list of barriers, while going a step further than previous research by examining the effect of covariates.Empirical results demonstrate that resource constraints, marketing barriers, knowledge and experience barriers, and export-procedure barriers are "export stage dependent. " However, regarding export-stagedependent barriers, differences exist only when we compare the early to the very advanced stages of development. These results also refute the grand hypothesis, which suggests an inverse relationship between export stages and the infl uence of export barriers. While the stage model typology still provides a practicable basis for need-based segmentation, it does not capture completely the heterogeneity associated with the middle stages.

The primary gap in export barrier literature has been the lack of studies adopting a longitudinal research design to examine this phenomenon. This vital and timely research addresses this long standing void by investigating the influence of export barriers at two Summary highlight Contributions This is the first study to use theory to predict change in the influence of export barriers across time. Specifically, the paper employs formal and informal institutional changes to predict a difference in the influence of export barriers at two specific points in time, 1995 and 2010. Research questions/purposeThe purpose of this study is to explore two research questions: 1. Does the influence of government policy barriers, exchange rate barriers, knowledge barriers and logistics barriers change with shifts in the institutional environment? 2. Is the conceptual classification of export barriers, developed in cross sectional research, valid in a longitudinal setting? Results/findings Empirical data are based on two independent samples of manufacturing exporters, drawn from the same working population, using an identical survey instrument. Our robust discriminant analysis model separates 1995 from 2010 exporters with adequate precision, thus illustrating the influence of export barriers differs across the two time-periods. The change in the influence of export barriers is traceable to the changes in various formal and informal institutional factors including economic deregulation, free trade agreements, exchange rate policy and adoption of information and communication technology. Theoretical implications and recommendations By illustrating that the influence of export barriers evolves across time, this paper highlights that there is a temporal dimension to the export barrier discourse. Specifically, while international expansion revolved around knowledge and experience in the 1990s, in recent years it appears to centre on external factors including government policy, trade-related issues and exchange rate regimes. Thus, the study spawns new empirical evidence to support the constraining/facilitating role the institutional environment plays on internationalization. Practical implications and recommendationsThe study implores export managers to adapt their skills and capabilities to the new dynamics shaping international expansion. Increasingly, international expansion will call for decision makers who adopt the appropriate managerial roles and who also possess a sound understanding of wide-ranging issues regarding exchange rate movements, economic policy and trends shaping international trade. For policymakers, the study argues the need to update export development programmes so that they are better aligned with the prevailing export development challenges. specific points in time, 1995 and 2010. Examining the influence of export barriers across time is fundamental for aligning export development programmes with exporter needs and also for helping export managers craft winning strategies. Following a careful review and synt...