THE CHARACTERISTICS OF TURKISH FOREIGN TRADE COMPANIES: A Field Study

Aim: This study aims to reveal the characteristics of Turkish foreign trade companies. Method: This research is a qualitative study which reveals the qualifications of these companies by focusing on the types of foreign trade firms (as actors), what kind of sector structure they are operating in (ecosystem) and their growth trends. The characteristics of the 79 firms obtained from content analysis of the semi-structured interviews. Findings: Findings show that companies are mostly concentrated in the Marmara Region, they legally have corporation status, employ 200 or more employees and they operate in the manufacturing sector. They both import and export, and tend to enter all markets without preference of a specific region. Results: Positioning in the sector is quality oriented. It’s been seen that related and non-diversified growth strategies are preferred. These themes are most significant ones for the firms: growth opportunities stemming from institutionalization, the economic conjuncture that experienced after 2000’s, balancing the firm performance by foreign market opportunities when experiencing the internal market crises