Export Promotion Policies and Export Performance: Analyzing the Mediating Role of Specific Advantages (Case Study: The Mining Companies of Ministry of Industry, Mine & Trade)

The strategy of export development instead of import substitution policy and self-sufficiency leads to the growth of industries and businesses and to the growth of GDP. Proper export policy-making leads to the implementation of the export development strategy and enhances the export performance of companies by decision-makers in government and other regulatory institutions. This study examines the impact of government policies for export promotion on export performance with emphasis on the mediating role of firm’s specific advantages. The statistical population of the study was all Mining Active Companies under the Ministry of Industry, Mine & Trade which was sampled using census sampling method of 150 samples. Data collection was done by a questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by experts and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient and Composite reliability. Structural equation modeling and Smart-Pls3 software were used for data analysis. The results show that government policies for export promotion have a direct and significant impact on export performance and also it through the mediating variable, the firm’s specific advantages, affects on export performance indirectly. Formulation of government policies to enhance export capacity and use the synergistic benefits of the specific advantages, including export financing capacity, export marketing and management capabilities, enables high elasticity of the export field and increased performance.