Business strategy in different contexts

Citation

Pehrsson, A. and Svensson, G. (2011), "Business strategy in different contexts", European Business Review, Vol. 23 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/ebr.2011.05423eaa.001

Business strategy in different contexts

Article Type: Guest editorial From: European Business Review, Volume 23, Issue 5

Researchers have produced extensive knowledge of the content of business strategy and the process of formulating and implementing strategy. We also know that business strategy cannot be isolated from the environmental context in which the strategy is shaped. As a certain business strategy concerns a set of products that are brought to a market, the market context is important. Further, customers and competitors are major actors of a market, and the structure and behaviour of these actors generally manifest characteristics of the market context. However, our knowledge of the impact of the market context is limited.

Subsequently, the theme of this special issue is on business strategy in different market contexts highlighting aspects of strategy content or strategy process in different market contexts defined by the structure or behaviour of customers and/or competitors. The two first articles focus on general market contexts, while the four remaining ones focus on competition contexts. This special issue consists of a selection of contributions as follows.

The first article, entitled “Product/customer scope: competition antecedents, performance effects and market context moderations”, is authored by Anders Pehrsson of Linnaeus University, Sweden. He explores the competition antecedents and performance effects of firm product/customer scope, and the moderating role of market growth. The study contrasts firms offering clean technology products in growing markets and firms offering miscellaneous products in mature markets.

The second article, entitled “Does market context impact payoffs to internationalization?”, is authored by Balasubramanian Elango of Illinois State University, USA. He examines the role of market context in influencing the relationship between internationalization and performance. The study investigates the relationship for firms distributed across global and multidomestic market contexts.

The third article, entitled “Clashes between contending market regimes: a challenge for firms in converging industries”, is co-authored by Maria Bengtsson and Marlene Johansson of University of Umeå, Sweden. They describe a conceptual framework for the competing market regimes in converging industries and the strategic challenges that need to be managed in these environments.

The fourth article, entitled “Understanding managers’ marketing strategy choice in a collaborative competition industry”, is co-authored by Jie Meng and Roger A. Layton of University of New South Wales, Australia. They describe how different focuses of competition and cooperation are put in core and supportive strategic importance based on business manager’s individual perception toward a particular rivalling cognition.

The fifth article, entitled “Can Brazilian firms survive the Chinese challenge? Effects of globalization on markets, strategies, and performance”, is co-authored by Syed H. Akhter of Marquette University, USA, and Paulo Fernando Pinto Barcellos of University of Caxias do Sul, Brazil. They apply the structure-conduct-performance theory and the strategic fit concept to examine the effects of globalization on markets, strategies, and performance of business-to-consumer firms in Brazil.

The last article, entitled “Indices, firm identity and performance: implications from the European financial services”, is co-authored by Tarek Eldomiaty of Misr International University, Egypt, Mohamed Behery of Abu Dhabi University, United Arab Emirates, Chong Ju Choi of National University, Australia, and Omar A. Ramzy of Misr International University, Egypt. They describe qualitative business strategy factors that affect the financial performance of financial firms.

We wish that you – the reader of European Business Review – will find the six contributions of this special issue of great intellectual interest and stimulation. We also hope that both scholars and practitioners will find them valuable.

Welcome to the thought-provoking and challenging world of European Business Review!

Anders Pehrsson, Göran SvenssonGuest Editors