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1 – 10 of over 13000Jorge F. B. Lengler, Carlos M. P. Sousa and Catarina Marques
Despite some attempts to integrate the market orientation construct into the international marketing area, most conceptual and empirical studies have been conducted in the context…
Abstract
Despite some attempts to integrate the market orientation construct into the international marketing area, most conceptual and empirical studies have been conducted in the context of domestic operations. To address this gap we examine whether competitive intensity moderates the relationships among the components of market orientation and export performance. Data was used from 197 Brazilian export companies. Results suggest that interfunctional coordination enhances customer and competitor orientation. Moreover, customer orientation has no direct effect on export performance, while competitor orientation has a positive effect on firm’s international performance. Findings also indicate that competitive intensity moderates all the relationships tested in the model.
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Sanna Sundqvist and Olli Kuivalainen
A common weakness of most growth models is the assumption that growth is a desired objective for entrepreneurs (see, e.g. Bird, 1989). However, not all entrepreneurial firms seek…
Abstract
A common weakness of most growth models is the assumption that growth is a desired objective for entrepreneurs (see, e.g. Bird, 1989). However, not all entrepreneurial firms seek growth as their primary objective (Covin, Slevin, & Covin, 1990; Porter, 1996), and further there is no reason to expect that all entrepreneurs want their businesses to grow in similar ways (Liao & Welsch, 2003). Thus, in many cases researchers have separated growth orientation from actual growth. In previous studies growth orientation has been defined as precondition to growth (see, e.g. Autio et al., 2000). Growth orientation is an attitudinal concept based on subjective evaluation (Nummela, Puumalainen, & Saarenketo, 2005) and is considered to be particularly important for international growth (Yli-Renko et al., 2002). IGO is thought to be a useful construct for differentiating companies according to their motivation to seek growth in international markets, and also for identifying the factors behind the chosen growth strategies (Nummela et al., 2005).
Majid Mohammad Shafiee, Merrill Warkentin and Setare Motamed
This study aims to investigate the key roles of human and relational capital in the export orientation and competitiveness of knowledge-intensive cooperative companies. It is also…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the key roles of human and relational capital in the export orientation and competitiveness of knowledge-intensive cooperative companies. It is also aimed to examine the moderating role of marketing knowledge capabilities.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from 552 managers at 86 companies, selected from knowledge-intensive export cooperatives, were analyzed with structural equation modeling with the partial least squares approach.
Findings
Results indicate that both human and relational capital exert considerable effects on competitiveness. Export orientation was a driving factor for cooperatives’ competitiveness. Human and relational capital fostered the effects of export orientation on competitiveness. Moreover, marketing knowledge capabilities were found to moderate the relationships between human and relational capital and export orientation, as well as between export orientation and competitiveness.
Originality/value
By highlighting the role of human capital and relational capital in export orientation and competitiveness, this study offers an analysis of important managerial processes within cooperative companies, which have not been sufficiently addressed in previous research. This research also demonstrated the moderating role of marketing knowledge capabilities in strengthening relationships between human and relational capital and export orientation, as well as between export orientation and competitiveness, which has been neglected in previous studies. These findings provide academics and practitioners with a new framework for examining the relationships between these constructs, which will enable them to establish strategies for achieving a competitive advantage.
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Diana Kolbe, Marta Frasquet and Haydee Calderon
This study aims to extend the existing base of knowledge of proactive and reactive market orientation and innovation capability by testing their impact on the export performance…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to extend the existing base of knowledge of proactive and reactive market orientation and innovation capability by testing their impact on the export performance of emerging-market small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in a Latin American context.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is a replication study, and its data were collected through a survey answered by general, marketing, sales or export managers at 155 Mexican SMEs. The research model was tested using partial least squares.
Findings
The study results indicate that innovation capability and reactive market orientation are drivers of export performance in Latin American SMEs. Moreover, proactive market orientation has been found to have an indirect effect on export results.
Practical implications
This study highlights to managers of Latin American SMEs the importance of capability development and deployment to improve export performance.
Social implications
SMEs enabled by strategic and technological innovation based on current and latent customer needs can advantageously perform in foreign markets and can drive economic growth and social and human development in Latin America.
Originality/value
Recent studies have focused on emerging-market enterprises and the necessity of developing dynamic capabilities to achieve internationalisation. This study extends previous research by assessing the robustness and generalizability of drivers in export performance for manufacturing SMEs in Latin America. In particular, it provides empirical insights on the capabilities to develop by Latin American SMEs to achieve better export performance.
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This research explores the nature and dimensions of market orientation in an international context by using empirical data from a sample of companies to rigorously test hypotheses…
Abstract
This research explores the nature and dimensions of market orientation in an international context by using empirical data from a sample of companies to rigorously test hypotheses regarding market orientation as applied to export operations in the context of the Turkish clothing industry. This aim was fulfilled by reliably and validly measuring the key constructs of export market orientation and finding statistically significant relationships between dependent (export marketing orientation) and independent variables (primarily export strategy and export performance). The results of this study draw conclusions showing that the hypothesised relationship between export market orientation and export performance does exist, and in the case of Turkish clothing exporters, improving an export market orientation level is a significant contributor to the company’s export performance. The results of this study also show the dimension of export market orientation that has the strongest relation with each dimension of export performance, and identifying the other export market orientation dimensions that make a significant contribution to the explanation of export performance.
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Hans Eibe Sørensen and Tage Koed Madsen
The purpose of this study is to investigate the association of international orientation and market orientation and their joint effects on export market success. Additionally, it…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the association of international orientation and market orientation and their joint effects on export market success. Additionally, it aims to examine how firms’ foreign market portfolio diversity moderates this association.
Design/methodology/approach
On the basis of a review of the literature on market orientation and international orientation in relation to manufacturers’ performance on export markets, the paper proposes a set of hypotheses. The hypotheses are empirically tested using 249 questionnaire responses from CEOs supplemented with census data.
Findings
The results indicate that international orientation is positively related to export market success and that this relationship is independent of market portfolio diversity. The paper provides insights to the limitations of the dominant position that holds market orientation as an undisputed valuable strategic capability since market orientation has different non‐linear associations with export market success depending on market portfolio diversity. Finally, the results indicate that the joint effects of international orientation and market orientation on export market success only are present for firms with a focused market portfolio.
Research limitations/implications
The authors argue that the performance implications of different strategic orientations on export market success are context‐dependent and that firms’ market portfolio diversity assists in providing this nuanced insight. The study's empirical cross‐sectional setting limits inference about causality among the constructs.
Practical implications
While all exporting manufacturing firms may benefit from an international orientation, business practitioners are advised to pay particular attention to the diversity of their foreign market portfolio prior to allocating resources to market‐oriented activities.
Originality/value
In this empirical contribution, the authors show how international orientation explains performance differentials among manufacturing exporters as well as how market orientation positively moderates this relationship. Furthermore, the paper shows the context dependency of the value of firms’ market orientation on the basis of export market portfolio diversity.
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Jorge Francisco Lengler, Carlos M.P. Sousa and Catarina Marques
Despite some attempts to integrate the market orientation construct into the international marketing area, most conceptual and empirical studies have been conducted in the context…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite some attempts to integrate the market orientation construct into the international marketing area, most conceptual and empirical studies have been conducted in the context of domestic operations. In addition, few studies have examined the quadratic effects of customer and competitor orientation on export performance. To address this gap in the literature we test a model that examines whether customer and competitor orientation have linear or quadratic relationships with export performance. We also investigate if competitive intensity moderates the linear and quadratic relationships between customer and competitor orientation and export profit.
Design/methodology/approach
The hypotheses are tested using survey data collected from 197 Brazilian export firms. Structural equation modeling was conducted to test the hypothesized relationships and to validate the proposed conceptual model.
Findings
Empirical evidence reveals that, while customer orientation has a U‐shaped relationship with export sales, the competitor orientation–export profit relationship is linear. Our results also provide evidence that the positive quadratic relationship between customer orientation and export profit is mediated by export sales. Contrary to expectations, the results also indicate that none of the linear or quadratic relationships investigated in the model are moderated by competitive intensity.
Originality/value
We test a model in an export context that examines whether the relationships between the separate components of market orientation and export performance are linear or quadratic. We also contribute to the literature by examining these relationships in the context of a developing country, namely Brazil.
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John W. Cadogan, Sanna Sundqvist, Risto T. Salminen and Kaisu Puumalainen
The activities of service and product firms are compared in terms of their market‐oriented behavior in their export operations (i.e. their export market‐oriented (EMO) behavior)…
Abstract
The activities of service and product firms are compared in terms of their market‐oriented behavior in their export operations (i.e. their export market‐oriented (EMO) behavior). Empirical analysis conducted on a sample of 783 Finnish exporters containing both service and product firms uncovered several interesting differences: service and product firms differed in their level of EMO behavior; the direct effects from EMO behavior to various dimensions of export success were invariant across the samples; however, the export environment moderated the link between EMO behavior and export profit performance in different ways across the samples. The results indicate that EMO behavior may be more appropriate under certain environmental conditions, and less appropriate under others. However, the nature of the relationship between EMO behavior and export success may also depend on whether the firm’s core export market offerings are services or physical products.
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Olimpia C. Racela, Chawit Chaikittisilpa and Amonrat Thoumrungroje
This paper aims at investigating and uncovering the potential effect of exporters' market orientation upon international business relationship with particular emphases on…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims at investigating and uncovering the potential effect of exporters' market orientation upon international business relationship with particular emphases on cooperation, dependence, and relationship distance.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a quantitative study using a mail survey among Thai exporting firms in various industries. The final sample size was comprised of 388 strategic business units (SBU's) from 279 Thai export firms in over eight industries. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling by means of AMOS 4.01.
Findings
Exporters' market orientation enhances the cooperation between the exporters and their major overseas distributor while minimizing their dependence and relationship distance. In addition, export performance is higher with greater exporter cooperation and lower relationship distance. Interestingly, the influence of exporter dependence on export performance varied among industry groups.
Practical implications
This study extends the domain of market orientation in international contexts by illustrating and empirically testing how exporters' market orientation serve as an antecedent to the development of business‐to‐business relationships, which ultimately enhances export performance. To business practitioners, this research pinpoints a particular challenge faced by exporters in managing their relationships with their overseas distributors in order to achieve better performance. Our findings show that market orientation plays a crucial role in developing and nurturing cooperative efforts with overseas distributors. As a result, exporters and their overseas distributors are recommended not only to form cooperative norms that are critical to joint marketing decisions and actions, but also aim to establish and maintain mutual dependence for their superior performance enhancement.
Originality/value
This study contributes to marketing and international business literature and provides insights to exporters by investigating the relationships among market orientation, behavioral aspects of business relationships and export performance. It also provides some evidence that market orientation practices are beneficial in enhancing cross‐cultural relationships, which have been given limited attention in previous literature.
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İlayda İpek and Mustafa Tanyeri
Anchored mainly on the institutional theory and resource-based view, this study endeavors to investigate the interplay between home country institutional environment (economic…
Abstract
Purpose
Anchored mainly on the institutional theory and resource-based view, this study endeavors to investigate the interplay between home country institutional environment (economic, regulatory and socio-cultural environment), export market orientation and export performance. Besides, this study also aims to examine the moderating role of firm resources (knowledge-based and managerial resources) in the associations between home country institutions and export market orientation.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on data from a sample of 221 exporting firms in Turkey, the conceptual model is empirically examined by structural equation modeling.
Findings
The findings reveal that regulatory environment is conducive to the improvement of export market orientation, which is instrumental in cultivating export performance. Importantly, empirical evidence also proves that higher levels of knowledge-based and managerial resources strengthen the linkage between home country institutions and export market orientation.
Originality/value
Integrating institutional theory with the resource-based view, this research considerably contributes to the current understanding of the export market orientation phenomenon by filling the knowledge gap on the differential impacts of home country’s economic, regulatory and socio-cultural environment on export market orientation. Moreover, this study provides worthwhile insights into the moderating effect of knowledge-based and managerial resources on home country institutions and export market orientation and the interrelationship between export market orientation and export performance in an emerging economy.
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