Search results

This empirical study investigates the relationship between the choice of an export market expansion strategy and the subsequent performance of exporting firms. Multiple measures of export performance were compared across three groups of firms following different export market expansion strategies: export market concentration, concentric diversification, and diversification strategies. A sample of 52 small and medium‐sized US high technology manufacturers showed significant differences among three strategic groups in export level and growth measures, but no significant differences in export profitability measures were found.

Bounded rationality theory argues that classical and neoclassical economic theories are unrealistic in assuming that managements have perfect knowledge regarding decision‐making alternatives. Instead, that information tends to be very limited both as to a firm's alternatives and the costs and benefits of each. At best, therefore, managements can make rational decisions only within the bounds of whatever information they possess; this results in many managerial decisions being sub‐optimal with respect to the total reality. Logically, the imperfect knowledge problem applies to all aspects of business, especially to international marketing since such information tends to be very limited.

Introduction In approaching the field of export marketing, the practitioner and the academic researcher face the same dilemma — a host of unanswered questions about the “best” policy decision in any given situation. Each one looks for answers in different areas. The practitioner reflects on past experience, either within his own company or within his industry. He substitutes “hunches” and informed guesses where past experience is lacking, and works with the constant realization that his information will probably never be optimal. Satisficing is a way of life in the export business. Multiple market environments and geographic separation often render potentially useful information out‐of‐date by the time it is received and processed.

Drawing on the organizational learning and relational governance literature, this study aims to advance a theoretical model to explain the export performance of emerging market export ventures.

This study selects quantitative methodology because the main objective of this study is to explore the role of export ventures’ performance (past) on guanxi networking, co-creation marketing strategies and present performance.

The empirical evidence suggests that guanxi networking and co-creation strategy can mediate the relationship between export venture performance in the preceding year and export venture performance in the following year. In addition, this study also provides some guidance for emerging market export ventures on how to build a strong guanxi networking and create opportunities for collaboration when the effect of export performance in the preceding year on current performance is absent.

The authors propose the inclusion of strategic guanxi networking-related factors (e.g. top executives’ ties with business-to-business customers, such as distributors in the host market) in the prior performance-current performance paradigm. The outcomes of this study also contribute to extant organizational learning theory research by integrating preceding performance research with the co-creation theory. The study offers new insights into organizational learning and relational governance from the emerging market perspective.

In this paper, we examine the elements of pricing approaches in export businesses and their performance in an international environment. The elements of pricing approaches consist of cost-based, competitor-based, and value-based decisions made by different levels of management. By providing an integrated, holistic view, we investigate how different types of export-pricing strategies influence export performance, and which elements strengthen or attenuate the outcomes of strategic actions.

Using data from a survey of 172 export managers, we test our hypotheses in a two-step approach. First, we use an unsupervised approach to group the export companies and to validate the cluster solution internally and externally. Second, we test our hypotheses regarding export performance.

The results show that the types of export-pricing strategies are unequally distributed, and the elements of the strategies have different complexities. Export performance varies significantly by type of pricing orientation used.

This article supports managers in their attempts to organize effective export strategies. Exporting is not just an initial low-commitment internationalization strategy that leads naturally into higher commitment entry modes such as FDI or acquisitions. For many firms, location advantages do not justify foreign direct investments and they therefore decide to service foreign markets from their domestic markets. But despite the relevance of this internationalization mode, there does not seem to be much consolidated knowledge about the organization of successful export strategies. As a result, firms are not just confronted with the choice between export or FDI but with numerous distinct strategic exporting alternatives. The article unfolds as follows: after a brief introduction on the relevance of international trade and the characteristics of export strategies, we describe four distinct export archetypes: (1) export manager, (2) centralistic export developer, (3) export skimmer, (4) integrated export developer. This article concludes with a discussion on the impact different export models have on firm performance.

This study aims to explore the dynamic interplay of key resources (i.e. research and development (R&D), advertising and exports) in affecting the performance of USA manufacturing firms. Specifically, the authors examine the dynamic impact of joint resources and predict differential effect scales contingent on firm capabilities.

This study presents a combined multiple regression analysis (MRA)-multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network modeling and investigates the complex interlinkage of capabilities, resources and performance. As an innovative approach, the MRA-MLP model investigates the effect of capabilities under the combinatory deployment of joint resources.

This study finds that the impact of joint resources and synergistic rents is not uniform but rather distinctive according to the combinatory conditions and that the pattern is further shaped by firm capabilities. Accordingly, besides signifying the contingent aspect of capabilities across a range of resource combinations, the result also shows that managerial sophistication in adaptive resource control is more than a managerial ethos.

The proposed analytic process provides scientific decision support tools with control mechanisms with respect to deploying multiple resources and setting actionable goals, thereby presenting pragmatic benchmarking options to industry managers.

Using the theoretical underpinnings of the resource-based view (RBV) and resource orchestration, this study advances knowledge about the complex interaction of key resources by presenting a salient analytic process. The empirical design, which portrays holistic interaction patterns, adds to the uniqueness of this study of the complex interlinkages between capabilities, resources and shareholder value.

In this chapter, we explore the effect of export exit on subsequent firm performance in a sample of 13,629 Belgian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We find that firms that stop exporting have lower profitability and profitability declines even further after they exit foreign markets. Firms that were highly dependent on revenues from exports and firms exiting multiple markets are more negatively affected, as reflected in lower post-exit survival rates and profitability. However, export duration or exiting institutionally distant markets does not have a significant impact on subsequent firm performance. Finally, although firm performance is negatively affected by exit, failed internationalization does not always lead to firm failure. Theoretical and practitioner implications are discussed.

This study examines the influence of marketing strategies on export ventures undertaken by micro and small enterprises (MSEs) established in emerging countries and in Brazil specifically. We aim to determine whether a direct relationship exists between marketing strategies and internationalization performance results and to evaluate the influence of entrepreneurial marketing (EM) on export marketing strategy (EMS) and performance. A conceptual model based on the work of Cavusgil and Zou (1994) is developed and used to analyze MSE characteristics (firm and products), EMS, EM, and export marketing performance. An empirical survey was conducted on 173 Brazilian MSEs across various sectors, and data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling. The results highlight the importance of marketing activities in shaping MSE export performance, mainly by adapting prices to targeted markets, thereby improving product competitiveness. The study also emphasizes the importance of company international competence (expertise) and EM as influencers of export performance. The study contributes to the field through its application of the EM construct, by adapting the conceptual MSE model and by filling empirical gaps knowledge. The results will guide MSE management strategies that will be critical to the Brazilian economy and to other emerging countries.

Social media (SM) networks offer a golden opportunity for firms that particularly engage in international activities to set up sustainable customer relationships and improve competitiveness. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of SM adoption on the export intensity (EI) of firms listed on Borsa Istanbul (BIST) for the years 2010–2020. The authors use social media index (SMI) to measure SM adoption and firm size (FSize) as a moderator on exploring the interaction of SM and EI.

Using a sample of 150 firms listed on the BIST Industrials Index, this study explores how the adoption of SM affects EI by using panel data analysis over the period of 2010–2020.

The results indicate that the SMI has a positive and significant effect on the EI. FSize positively moderates the interaction of SMI and EI, indicating that large firms benefit more from the SM in increasing export performance. The findings reflect high potential of EI improvement through adopting right SM policies in emerging markets.

The sample covers only public companies listed on the BIST Industrials Index. Future studies may extend the coverage and include multiple emerging markets to draw generalized results for the export-oriented firms. This research also analyzes solely four SM networks, i.e. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. However, there are many other SM networks that firms use in online marketing in foreign markets. Finally, this research did not discuss the potential factors that could influence the use of SM in emerging market firms.

This study denotes the significant role of SM adoption on the EI of firms in an emerging market setting from the perspective of resource-based view. It presents an insightful approach in understanding the mission played by SM networks in enhancing the EI of Turkish firms. Policymakers may use the findings to develop public support programs to promote the adoption and implementation of the SM among exporting firms in emerging markets.

The study provides evidence on the effects of SM adoption on the EI from the perspective of emerging countries. It also helps to gain a deeper understanding of how different SM platforms contribute to the internationalization of firms.