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Article
Publication date: 13 December 2022

Mitra Samadi, Seyed Reza Mirnezami, Mohammad Sadegh Khayyatian and Mohammad Torabi Khargh

This study aims to compare the level of organizational capabilities of the exporter and non-exporter Iranian knowledge-based firms in the sector of chemical technology.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to compare the level of organizational capabilities of the exporter and non-exporter Iranian knowledge-based firms in the sector of chemical technology.

Design/methodology/approach

By combining 18 different indicators, a framework is designed to demonstrate organizational capabilities. The technological, manufacturing, R&D, marketing, organizing and financial capabilities of 732 Iranian knowledge-based firms in the sector of chemical technology (90 exporters and 642 non-exporter firms) are identified between 2015 and 2020. The analysis is based on the Chi-square test and logistic and probit regression.

Findings

The results indicate that technological capability, unlike the other five capabilities, is higher in non-exporter firms, and the level of marketing capability is greater in exporter firms, with the highest difference between the two groups.

Originality/value

The research suggests that knowledge-based firms should be evaluated based on export history; there should be some specialized export facilitating packages for both exporter and non-exporter firms; and some baskets from products with related and specialized fields of application should be formed to facilitate international marketing. The results can be a basis for managers and policymakers to improve the firm’s capabilities and competitiveness at the international level.

Details

Review of International Business and Strategy, vol. 33 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2059-6014

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 December 2023

Zoe Lee, Sianne Gordon-Wilson, Iain Davies and Cara Pring

Communication about sustainability in fashion is complex. While fashion businesses have increasingly sought to manage their sustainability practices, their understanding of how to…

Abstract

Purpose

Communication about sustainability in fashion is complex. While fashion businesses have increasingly sought to manage their sustainability practices, their understanding of how to communicate about sustainability persuasively remains limited. The authors argue that a key problem with a firm’s efforts in communicating about sustainability is that it is a psychologically distant issue for both businesses and stakeholders. This paper aims to apply construal level theory to explore managers’ construal level in shaping communication about sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper used a two-phase qualitative methodology. Phase one involved undertaking interviews with ten managers in fashion firms to address communications about sustainability in the UK. In phase two, 16 consumers interpreted and reflected on the persuasiveness of communications about sustainability encompassing both concrete and abstract forms of messaging.

Findings

The authors identify the factors driving different approaches to communication (concrete and abstract) depending on the construal levels of managers, managers’ perceptions of the construal level of target stakeholders and the perceived authenticity of the sustainability claim. The paper highlights the conditions under which the (mis)match with the brands’ sustainable practices works in crafting communication. The authors also highlight three main communication strategies in responding to the complexity of sustainability in fashion ecosystems: amplification, quiet activist and populist coupling.

Research limitations/implications

As an in-depth qualitative study, the authors seek to expose an under-researched phenomenon, yet generalisations both within the fashion industry and beyond are limited by this focus.

Practical implications

Fashion managers need to be flexible and evaluate how their communications about sustainability affect stakeholders’ evaluations of their brands. As sustainability in fashion brands grows, concrete and specific sustainability messaging may be necessary to improve sustainable behaviours.

Originality/value

The prevailing literature encourages symbiosis between sustainability practices and communications; such relationships are rare, and studies outside the consumer perspective are also rare. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this exploratory study is the first to understand how managers’ construal level influences decisions around communications about sustainability in fashion and how these messages are perceived by consumers.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 58 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

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