Factors affecting the export behavior of SMEs and solution suggestions for increasing export efficiency the case of Diyarbakır province

Export is a process that needs to be emphasized and efforts and development should be made to increase its effectiveness, as it provides great contributions in areas such as growth, development and employment. Exporting is one of the main forms of international marketing. Businesses show different export behaviors due to the differences in their environment and business characteristics. This study was conducted for exporting SMEs in Diyarbakır in order to reveal various factors that may be effective in the export behavior of SMEs and to offer solutions for increasing export efficiency. In our study, a questionnaire was used as a data collection method. Our sample consisted of 91 SMEs exporting in Diyarbakır. The analysis of the findings was made with SPSS program. In our study, four separate hypotheses and sub-hypotheses were examined. It has been investigated whether the descriptive characteristics of the enterprises, export behavior and export pattern, export intensity of the enterprises, demographic characteristics of the employees and the factors affecting export behavior are independent of each other. The results of the analysis were in line with similar studies. The five most important factors affecting the export behavior of SMEs in our sample were found to be exchange rates, qualified personnel, transportation time and cost, raw material impact and market size. In addition, the relationship between the export intensity of SMEs and the size of the investment, qualified personnel, transportation time and cost, investment cost required for exports, working capital, bureaucratic barriers and exchange rates was significant. Keywords: Export, Export Behavior, Export İntensity