The Role of the Internet in Australian Small Firms Exporting to Sri Lanka: An Innovative Export Model

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory research paper is to offer an understanding on the role of the Internet in the context of small firms exporting from an advanced to emerging market. The countries chosen in this context are Australia and Sri Lanka. The research study involves face to face interviews with the owner/managers of Australian exporting firms. It reveals that the exporters? knowledge on the customer base in Sri Lanka and their advantage of being connected to various networks both in Australia and Sri Lanka make their exporting business high performing. The owner/managers who gained a number of years of international business experience from working as managers of firms in the export market would add further advantage to exporting firms. The paper suggests that the capability of owner/managers to identify the right blend of Internet technology while managing human factors in the export process is critical to their export success.