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Overcoming distance: export geographies for SMEs within Atlantic Canada’s ocean technology sector

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Abstract

The export process has many distinctly geographical elements, including place-based impediments to trade and eventual market selections. Tied to this, exporting and its myriad geographies are complicated for small-and-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which can impact performance on global markets. This research note examines the case of SMEs within Atlantic Canada’s growing ocean technology industry, a sector that is heavily dependent on export sales. These initial explorations present a number of noteworthy export-related geographies. Firms tended to export to nearby markets, whether in terms of geographical, cultural, or administrative distance. These exporters also cited a number of issues that impeded their moves into international markets, including the costs of being export-ready as well as adapting their products or services to global markets. The same firms, however, viewed trade fair participation as a means to overcoming export barriers and as a way to explore new markets. These initial explorations add to the literature on trade-related geographies and point to directions for future research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA

    Ronald V. Kalafsky

  2. Sobey School of Business, Department of Economics, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, NS, B3H 3CH, Canada

    Mark P. Raymond

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  1. Ronald V. Kalafsky
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Correspondence to Ronald V. Kalafsky.

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Kalafsky, R.V., Raymond, M.P. Overcoming distance: export geographies for SMEs within Atlantic Canada’s ocean technology sector. GeoJournal 88, 533–541 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-022-10621-8

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