ABSTRACT
This chapter attempts to inquire into how much black-owned enterprises export and what determines how much they export. It examines the effects of export-related, firm-specific attributes and management characteristics. The chapter investigates the effect of the learning hypothesis, which was popularized by F. N. Burton and B. B. Schlegelmich. Five variables are used for this purpose, namely the age of managers, prior working experience, education, managerial experience, and the number of years the firm has been in operation. All the "learning process" variables are statistically significant in black-owned enterprises' models at the 1-24% level. Black-owned enterprises whose owners are aged 35-54 years export just as much as those whose owners are younger. But enterprises whose owners are 55 years and older export significantly more at the 1-24% level than those whose owners are younger. The chapter shows that college education is very crucial in preparing black entrepreneurs for participation in international trade.
