Abstract This paper attempts to assess the variety and relevance of barriers to entry perceived by Portuguese firms. Based on a questionnaire, Portuguese firms’ perceptions were surveyed using a sample of 168 firms. The results suggest that sunk costs, capital requirements, capital costs, and cost disadvantages are the most important barriers to entry. Applying a factor analysis, six underlying dimensions of entry barriers – investment in R&D, strategic behaviour, investment risk, advertising, cost disadvantages, and capacity – were identified. These findings are quite consistent among industries and firms’ sizes. Still, micro firms have lower perceptions regarding entry barriers than SMEs and large firms. Portuguese firms’ perceptions on entry barriers suggest that both structural and strategic barriers are important and that the effectiveness of strategic barriers depends on the structural characteristics of the market.

中文翻译：

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进入壁垒：对葡萄牙公司看法的实证评估

摘要本文试图评估葡萄牙公司意识到的进入壁垒的多样性和相关性。根据问卷调查，使用168家公司的样本对葡萄牙公司的看法进行了调查。结果表明，沉没成本，资本需求，资本成本和成本劣势是进入的最重要障碍。应用因素分析，确定了进入壁垒的六个基本方面–研发投资，战略行为，投资风险，广告，成本劣势和产能–。这些发现在行业和企业规模之间是相当一致的。相对于中小企业和大公司，微型公司对进入壁垒的认识较低。