The importance of information as a key factor influencing a firm's exportbehavior has long been acknowledged in the international marketing literature.Indeed, a common feature of empirical studies on such diverse issues as exportinitiation and expansion, export barriers, export market orientation, utilizationof export assistance, and market/country selection and assessment is that theyhave all highlighted the critical role of information in export decision making(see, for example, Johanson and Vahlne, 1977; Leonidou, 1995; Cadogan et al.