The purpose of the study is to analyze the effectiveness of public policies on the international performance of the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Specifically, we investigate the effect of public export promotion programs (EPPs) on two types of organizational capabilities, i.e. export capabilities which have been already used in previous modelization, and international risk management practices as an original variable intended to better explain the effectiveness of public policies on the SME's international performance. We use a quantitative methodology based on a structural equation modeling approach applied to a sample of 147 internationalized French SME that used EPPs. Our results add value to theoretical and empirical knowledge on the effectiveness of public support programs on the international performance of SMEs, since we demonstrate an indirect effect between EPPs and international performance, through export capabilities and risk management practices. We also show that by strengthening the risk management practices, EPPs stimulate the SME in implementing foreign direct investment strategies.

This article evaluates the impact of public export support programs on the internationalization of early internationalizing small businesses. We build and test a conceptual model of the link between export support services and early internationalizing firms' relational capital and international performance in terms of both economic international performance and the number of foreign markets in which they are present. The results show that financial support is effective in enhancing firm performance only in terms of the number of foreign markets but not in terms of economic performance, that informational support is effective through its influence on relational capital, and that operational support is not. Our findings contrast with those of previous studies on firms that internationalize through stages and suggest that new export support services adapted to early internationalizing firms are needed.

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Les Export Start-Ups sont un type d’entreprise à internationalisation précoce qui recèle un fort potentiel de croissance et d’emploi. Néanmoins, elles sont fragilisées par leur manque de ressources et sont nombreuses à échouer sur les marchés étrangers. En nous appuyant sur la Théorie des Ressources, nous posons alors la question de l’efficacité des Services d’Accompagnement à l’Export (SAE) à fournir à ces entreprises les ressources manquantes pour performer sur les marchés étrangers, alors même que ces services ont été pensés initialement pour les entreprises à internationalisation par étapes. Nous proposons un modèle conceptuel qui suggère que certains types de SAE sont efficaces et influencent les connaissances, les réseaux de relations et la performance export des Start-Ups Exportatrices.Export Start-Ups are a type of International New Ventures which has a high potential for growth and job creation. Nevertheless, they are weakened by their lack of resources and are likely to fail in foreign markets. Building on the Resources-based Theory, we ask the question of the effectiveness of Export Support Services to provide these companies with missing resources to perform in foreign markets, even though these services were originally designed for traditional exporter with internationalization by stages. We propose a conceptual model suggesting that several export services are effective and influence the knowledge, networks, and the export performance of Export Start-Ups.Las Export Start-Ups son empresas que van a exportar rápidamente y tienen un gran potencial de crecimiento y trabajo. Sin embargo, ellos se debilitan por la falta de recursos y son propensos a fallar en los mercados extranjeros. Sobre la base de la Teoría de los Recursos, a continuación hacemos la pregunta de la eficacia de los Servicios de Apoyo a las Exportaciones para proporcionar estos recursos desaparecidos para realizar en los mercados extranjeros, a pesar de que estos servicios fueron diseñados originalmente para las empresas con una gradual internacionalización. Proponemos un modelo conceptual que sugiere que ciertos tipos de apoyo a la exportación son eficaces e influye en el conocimiento, las redes, y los resultados de exportación de las Export Start-Ups