Paper Title
SME Exportation Strategy for the Development of the Mexican Leather Footwear Industry

Abstract
The fundamentals of international competitiveness justify the development of a national exportation strategy to increase the economic development of the countries. In this research, the competitive situation of the SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) that conform the Mexican footwear leather industry was considered to develop a strategy, at an operative level, that can be used to promote the exportations. The roles of the most important stakeholders (Companies, Chambers and Associations of the Industry, Educational Institutions and Research Centers, Government and Financial Institutions) were proposed; also the specific contributions to decrease the international trade barriers were identified. The SME Internationalization strategy consists of five Components: Observatory of Commercial Opportunities, Acceleration of Companies’ Exportations, Multiple Promotion, International Demand Attention and International Negotiations that should be implemented by the entrepreneurs of SMEs jointly supported by the analyzed stakeholders as key elements of the optimal function to achieve a real and sustainable increase of the national competitiveness of the sector. Keywords - Competitiveness, Exportations, Strategy, SME.