Impacts of Export Promotion Programs on Firm's Export Performance: The case of Iranian electric industry

Exports have direct effects on Iran’s economic growth; therefore, a variety of state and private owned institutes promote Iranian companies’ export activities via export promotion programs (EPPs). The main goal of these programs is to improve the export performance of Iranian companies and to motivate export activities of those companies. To explore the effects of export promotion programs on export performance and activities of firms a filed study in Iranian electric industry with a sample of 260 firms was initiated. According to results of this study, awareness and use of EPPs has no direct impact on export performance of firms; however, these programs can improve export performance via mediating impacts of marketing strategy. According to the findings of EPPs some policy implication to improve the effectiveness presented based on the results of study in the end of paper.