This study aimed at testing the existence of a relationship between early perception of export barriers and the continuity of a firm's export activity. It also intended to verify whether certain company characteristics were related to export continuity. Secondary data obtained from COPPEAD's Export Data File was used. The data was collected in 1978 by a survey with 114 Brazilian manufacturers and exporters of footwear. Data on perceived barriers to exporting and firm characteristics were selected from the file. Export volumes in the years 1980, 1990 and 1994 were collected from other sources. Linear discriminant analysis was used to test the null hypotheses. Results showed that the perception of export barriers and certain firm characteristics would have made possible to predict, with reasonable acuracy, in 1978, which companies would continue to export and which would fail.
exporting; firm size; export barriers
