Purpose The selection of an international market (IMS) is a prime factor in the success and growth of a company. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to consolidate and apply a systematic methodology that contributes toward the evaluation of international markets and promotes entry into the export market of Antioquia’s textile companies. Design/methodology/approach Through a systematic literature review, the criteria and sub-criteria involved in the IMS process are identified and a total of 5 general criteria and 23 sub-criteria are selected. A hybrid approach is used to address the gap. In total, a multiple case study of 11 companies from different range of export values are selected. Data analysis is conducted using two multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) models, namely, the analytic hierarchy process for weighting the factors and the technique for order of preference by similarity to the ideal solution for the country selection ranking. Findings The results demonstrate the applicability of the hybrid MCDM technique to improve IMS decision-making in the textile sector and other sectors. It is found that Canada, Belgium and the UK are the best destinations for textile exports with a selection score of 0.7716, 0.7488 and 0.7337, respectively. The sub-criteria belonging to the dimensions of trade barriers, economic factors and costs are the main factors affecting the export of a textile-clothing product. Research limitations/implications The possibility of achieving a generalized result through this case study is not possible, but the methodological application carried out is a novel for the selection of markets in the Colombian case and within the literature available in the domain. Practical implications From the managerial point of view, firms associated with trade have a broader vision when looking for new markets. Emerging entrepreneurs can equip themselves to enter the international market. Practitioners and policymakers can also use this methodology, which will allow them to evaluate new markets to outline promotional strategies for positioning products abroad. Social implications To facilitate the selection of international markets for enterprises. Originality/value The contribution of the study is twofold. First, the combination of techniques will allow wider support for the selection of markets and act as a decision support system. On the other hand, this is the first time that such a methodology is used for IMS in the exporting sector not only in Colombia but also in Latin America. Finally, the detailed methodological process described in the study allows both academicians and decision-makers to replicate the study in other contexts and scenarios.

El estudio presenta la aplicación de una metodología que busca facilitar la enseñanza sobre la selección de mercados internacionales, enfocada en la internacionalización de empresas. Se analiza la literatura existente que valida este tipo de enfoque para la toma de decisiones, identificando los factores generales que influyen en la selección de nuevos mercados de exportación. Luego se propone un nuevo factor de tipo económico con una serie de sub-factores a analizar, tales como riesgo en país, índice de precios al consumidor, PIB per cápita y tasa de desempleo. Se desarrolla la técnica de proceso analítico jerárquico para establecer la importancia relativa de los juicios emitidos por diez empresas del sector químico para cada una de las dimensiones previamente establecidas. Los resultados sugieren que los factores costos, logística, barreras comerciales, económico, y entorno y cultura son tenidos en cuenta en este orden importancia para la exportación de productos químicos desde Colombia; mientras que los mercados más atractivos para este caso son Estados Unidos, Honduras y Ecuador.

No abstract

Este estudio tuvo como objetivo identificar las barreras intervinientes en la implementación de la logística verde en las empresas del Valle de Aburrá. Para ello, se estableció un conjunto barreras dividas en 5 categorías generales y 22 específicas.Posteriormente, se midió la importancia relativa de dichas barreras a través de la perspectiva de 10 empresas encuestadas, aplicando un modelo de análisis jerárquico de procesos para determinar los obstáculos más influyentes y se propuso 5 posibles alternativas de solución. Los resultados destacaron que las barreras asociadas con los costos e inversión de recursos fueron las más restrictivas del conjunto analizado.

Introduction. The information and communication technologies (ICT) have change the way that firms carry out their international business transactions because small, medium, and large companies are increasingly adopting these tools in order to enhance the productivity into operational processes including the commercial and industrial internationalization. Objective. This article aims to identify the most used ICT in the international trade negotiation process for achieving import and export contracts within the Pacific Alliance companies.  Methodology. Then, a survey in 401 internationalized firms was carried out into this regional trade bloc comprised of Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. Likewise, a descriptive analysis is applied to present the results of the study highlighting the most used ICT into the international trade negotiation and, similarly, an ordered logistic regression is applied in order to explain both the level of importance given to ICT in the negotiation process and the use frequency within this trade agreement.  Findings. The research also reveals that ICT are essential for each international negotiation phase, especially in the preparation phase. Conclusion. The use of specialized ICT such as e-procurement, ERP, CRM, NSS, and scenario building software increases as the size of the companies also increases.