Table 1 Hierarchical exporter...

Table 1

Hierarchical exporter classifier: conceptual meaning, rule logic, and final assignment

Step	Species	Exporter logic	Exact threshold rule	Why this step comes here	Final assigned n; raw rule n
1	Zebra	Mission-backed trust builder	Sustainability total ≥8; strategic sustainability ≥2 operational sustainability ≥2; FIN_AVG_Present ≥4.0	Rare combined legitimacy-and-finance signature; highly diagnostic in this sample	2; raw rule n = 2
2	Elephant	Scale-dominant, systematized form	Employees_FTE ≥90	Captures the scale-led exporter form once Zebra is excluded	6; raw rule n = 6
3	Leopard	Precision-oriented, highly capable SME form	T_avg ≥ 4.56; MKT_intl_avg ≥ 4.625; Employees_FTE <90	Isolates unusually strong technology and international marketing below elephant scale	2; raw rule n = 3
4	Bee	Collaboration-intensive form	External collaboration total ≥35; external collaboration breadth ≥6 advanced collaboration breadth ≥2	Tests whether collaboration becomes the dominant organizing logic after higher-priority signatures are assigned	0; raw rule n = 2
5	Camel	Resilient selective adapter	Present_STM5 = 5; FIN_AVG_Present ≥4.0; MKT_intl_avg ≤ 4.25; Employees_FTE <90	Captures resilience and prudence with more restrained outward exposure	4; raw rule n = 4
6	Squirrel	Adaptive residual form	Default residual category	Assigned when no more distinctive exporter signature dominates	9; residual assignment

Step	Species	Exporter logic	Exact threshold rule	Why this step comes here	Final assigned n; raw rule n
1	Zebra	Mission-backed trust builder	Sustainability total ≥8; strategic sustainability ≥2operational sustainability ≥2; FIN_AVG_Present ≥4.0	Rare combined legitimacy-and-finance signature; highly diagnostic in this sample	2; raw rule n = 2
2	Elephant	Scale-dominant, systematized form	Employees_FTE ≥90	Captures the scale-led exporter form once Zebra is excluded	6; raw rule n = 6
3	Leopard	Precision-oriented, highly capable SME form	T_avg ≥ 4.56; MKT_intl_avg ≥ 4.625; Employees_FTE <90	Isolates unusually strong technology and international marketing below elephant scale	2; raw rule n = 3
4	Bee	Collaboration-intensive form	External collaboration total ≥35; external collaboration breadth ≥6advanced collaboration breadth ≥2	Tests whether collaboration becomes the dominant organizing logic after higher-priority signatures are assigned	0; raw rule n = 2
5	Camel	Resilient selective adapter	Present_STM5 = 5; FIN_AVG_Present ≥4.0; MKT_intl_avg ≤ 4.25; Employees_FTE <90	Captures resilience and prudence with more restrained outward exposure	4; raw rule n = 4
6	Squirrel	Adaptive residual form	Default residual category	Assigned when no more distinctive exporter signature dominates	9; residual assignment

Note(s): Final assigned n records the number of firms allocated to each species after the full decision sequence has been applied. Raw rule n records the number of firms satisfying the relevant threshold before hierarchical assignment. This distinction matters because some firms satisfy more than one raw rule but are assigned to the first dominant signature in the hierarchy. The counts come from the FirmData and Species_Distribution sheets in the Supplementary Workbook. Acronyms are defined as follows: sustainability total is the overall sustainability score; strategic and operational sustainability capture sustainability intent and concrete action; FIN_AVG_Present is the current financial average; Employees_FTE denotes full-time equivalent employees; T_avg is the technology average; MKT_intl_avg is the international marketing average; external collaboration total and breadth capture the intensity and variety of external collaboration; and Present_STM5 is the current Stra.Tech.Man resilience score

[ViewLarge]

Sharing Unavailable