Profiles of Colombian export firms

Purpose To identify and describe the different profiles of Colombian export firms. Design/methodology/approach Hierarchical cluster analysis is used to identify these profiles on a sample of 5,181 firms. Differences between profiles are tested using analysis of variance (ANOVA) extended by the Bonferroni test. Robustness is checked with two-stage clustering and a multinomial logit model, which validates the results. Findings There are four profiles of Colombian export firms that exhibit different behaviours depending on their structural characteristics, export intensity and export destinations: Globalised Industrial Leaders (Group 1), Agile Global Exporters (Group 2), Committed Regional Industrialists (Group 3) and Emerging Regional Service Firms (Group 4). Originality/value This study contributes to the literature on export behaviour and its explanatory factors in the context of Colombian firms and, more broadly, firms from emerging countries. Identifying the profiles of exporting firms is helpful for entrepreneurs and public managers.