Perceived obstacles of Saudi‐ Arabian exporters of non‐oil products

Reports on one part of a study which investigates selected aspects of the export behaviour and assistance requirements of Saudi Arabian exporters of non‐oil products; specifically, it focuses on results concerning firms’ perceived obstacles to exporting. Provides a contribution to the literature since, although a body of knowledge exists on the area of obstacles to exporting, empirical data has tended to relate to developed countries; indeed, the limited number of studies in developing countries have tended to avoid the case of Saudi Arabia. Using MANCOVA to analyse responses to a postal survey, findings are presented which establish that a limited number of statistical differences exist between both firms with either a low or high export involvement (export ratio) and various sizes of firms. Implications for policy makers within the respective government departments and associated organisations are discussed in relation to the way in which assistance might be more effectively provided for Saudi‐Arabian firms in order to address common obstacles to exporting.