Perception of export barriers to Mercosur by Brazilian firms

This study analyzes the perceptions of export obstacles to the Mercosur by top executives of Brazilian companies located in the state of Riode Janeiro. Differences in perceptions were studied in order to determine to what extent they were associated with industry type, firmsize, export experience and geographic scope of export activities. Self‐administered questionnaires were sent to top executives of Rio de Janeiro companies that had recently exported to Mercosur countries. A total of 69 companies returned the questionnaire, representing a total response rate of 50.36 per cent. Data were analyzed using factor analysis and stepwise linear discriminant analysis. Results confirmed the hypothesized relationships.