Résumé

Apart from foreign direct investment (FDI), multinationals’ (MNCs) export activities are also a valuable source of knowledge for domestic firms (in the home and the host countries). The aim of this project is to focus in detail on the role of MNCs’ export activities in improving the export performance of domestic firms1 through export spillovers. Positive and significant spillover effects emerge as domestic firms’ learning activities succeed in increasing their export propensity and /or intensity. In particular, our project tests whether export activities of both Swiss and foreign MNCs located in Switzerland may benefit the Swiss economy when the export specific knowledge that are experienced on foreign markets may spill over to domestic firms, raising their export performance. To the best of our knowledge, this study will be the first to explore the Swiss case. In contrast to the existing literature, the diverse factors assessing the size and the extent of export spillovers will be determined in detail and a complete theoretical picture of these effects will be elaborated, so as to exactly identify the potential benefit for domestic firms. Our hypotheses will be tested against the empirical evidence for the Swiss economy using interviews and regression analyses. Based on a firm data set for manufacturing, we first study the management practices of local and foreign manufacturing exporters as well as domestic learning process related to these export activities. Second, we evaluate the beneficial return of Swiss and foreign MNCs’ export activities for domestic firms in terms of spillovers. Third, we examine how our contribution to the body of knowledge on export spillovers will help managers in manufacturing as well as policy-makers leveraging the potential spillover benefits of MNCs’ export activities. This today is particularly interesting because exports in Switzerland continue to have some difficulties and policy makers need to have some new insights on how promoting these activities since Swiss economy relies largely on exports. (Domestic firms used in this project refer to exporting and non-exporting firms that are not investing in FDI.)

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