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This paper examines the organizational consequences of aberrant decision making processes in terms of the continuum of knowledge management alluded to by T.S. Eliot (1969); namely information acquisition and use, knowledge and, in turn, insight and wisdom. The thesis of the paper is that a raft of recent corporate failures can be explained away in terms of managerial decision‐making processes that have destroyed the integrity of the organizational learning experience for these organizations, through the corrupt and dysfunctional behavior of their respective managerial elite. It is further argued that when viewed from an anthropological perspective this dysfunctional behavior is akin to cannibalism of the body corporate.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that enhance export decision-makers’ generation of export information, using a non-linear approach and a multi-country context, and so provide export decision-makers with empirically based guidelines on how to maximize their information acquisition efforts.

A broad perspective on export information generation is adopted, including marketing research, export assistance, and market intelligence. The model of antecedents to information generation is tested in three studies (USA, Austria, New Zealand, respectively) using structural equation modeling techniques. Multigroup and hierarchical analysis is performed to assess cross-national invariance of relevant measures, and quadratic effects.

The findings show that the predictors of export information generation vary across the three countries studied, and that many of the relationships are non-linear.

This study contributes to the export marketing literature by developing the understanding of how exporters can develop greater knowledge of information sources on which to build export decisions, and the conditions necessary for enhanced export information acquisition activity. The findings highlight that future research should consider non-linear relationships and the examination of the outcomes of export information generation in a cross-national setting.

The study findings advocate that practitioners (exporters and advisers) tailor their export information generation efforts to the different country needs.

This research responds to a call for more theoretically based studies on antecedents to export information generation, concurrent with the use of more robust statistical methods.

Emphasises the dangers of complacency in business thinking and of the risks associated with strategic decisions that are repetitive and predictable. Introduces a military decision making model termed manoeuvre warfare and its history, successes, and applications within a business context. Recounts some well‐known military and business decision making blunders and warns of the strategic implications of falling into the same flawed decision‐making traps. Concludes with arguments supporting aggressive strategies that exploit the elements of speed, surprise, and flexibility.

The extent to which and ways in which export information is used can play a significant role in a firm's level of export performance. Surprisingly, however, little empirical research has been conducted in the area of export information use, and even less attention has been paid to potential cross‐national differences in how export information is used. The focus of this study is the examination of export information use practices across different countries. Data from a total sample of 989 exporting companies across Austria, Germany, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA were analyzed using analyses of covariance to control for extraneous, firm‐level variables. The results indicate that firms from all countries use information instrumentally/conceptually more often than symbolically; they also tend to use export market intelligence more than other sources of information. Further, examination of the findings revealed that firms from different countries also use information differently. For instance, US exporters are much more symbolic in their use of information than exporters from the other countries, while Austrian exporters tend not to use information symbolically. Implications and limitations are discussed and future research avenues are proposed.