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Article
Publication date: 13 July 2012

John W. Cadogan

The purpose of this study is to highlight key themes and issues within the strategic orientation research domain that are in need of research attention by international scholars.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to highlight key themes and issues within the strategic orientation research domain that are in need of research attention by international scholars.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach taken is an essay format.

Findings

The essay identifies six prime issues in need of attention by scholars interested in examining strategic orientations in the context of international business success. These are the need to: examine the relative merits of adopting strategic orientations in firms’ domestic and international business operations; more carefully match international performance metrics to the theory being developed; develop more theory‐rich conceptual models of the consequences of strategic orientations by considering non‐linear and complex moderated relationships; consider the dimensionality of strategic orientations more closely, potentially viewing the constructs in a variety of disaggregated ways, so as to develop models with greater conceptual precision and managerial relevance; go beyond current methodological boundaries to provide better/more robust tests of theories; and integrate theories regarding individual strategic orientations into meta‐theories that accommodate multiple strategic orientations.

Research limitations/implications

For each of the six prime research issues identified as being important within the international strategic orientations field, a variety of specific research avenues and research questions are raised and discussed.

Originality/value

The paper provides researchers with insights into potential avenues for conducting research into strategic orientations in the international marketing arena.

Details

International Marketing Review, vol. 29 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-1335

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 September 2023

Korhan Arun and Saniye Yildirim Özmutlu

This paper aims to analyze the impact of gender in leadership on strategic orientation and the relative impact of these strategic orientations on organizational performance with…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the impact of gender in leadership on strategic orientation and the relative impact of these strategic orientations on organizational performance with the leadership of each gender.

Design/methodology/approach

Cross-sectional survey-based data were collected from 1,260 logistics companies, and 503 responses were found suitable for further data evaluation. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and regression analysis were used to analyze the data and test the hypotheses.

Findings

Results show that managers' gender affects only the aggressiveness subdimension (p = 0.018 and ß = 0.114) in strategic orientation decisions and that male managers tend to be more aggressive-oriented than female managers. Strategic orientation is more effective on organizational performance. More clearly, when female executives use the same strategic orientation as their male counterparts, organizational performance is higher than that of male executives.

Research limitations/implications

Managers' power is related to social norms about their valuable contribution to the organization and roles are associated with experiences. Thus, at different levels of management, different results will be obtained.

Practical implications

Organizations should only define leadership roles in masculine terms with information or research that explains how women leaders can contribute to the organization's outcomes.

Social implications

The lack of fit model should not be expected when determining executive-level female leaders' performance.

Originality/value

There is a significant potential in studying strategic decision-making and whether the ability to provide effective organizational outcomes is related to a person's gender. Even if previous literature suggests that gender stereotypes affect perceptions of men's and women's fit for executive positions, the strategic conception of organizational decisions is immune to gender, but strategy execution is not.

Details

Leadership & Organization Development Journal, vol. 44 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7739

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 March 2023

Mohammad Iqbal, Mukhammad Kholid Mawardi, Brillyanes Sanawiri, Rizal Alfisyahr and Ina Syarifah

This study aims to investigate the ways that human capital influences the strategic orientation variables entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and market orientation (MO), which…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the ways that human capital influences the strategic orientation variables entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and market orientation (MO), which ultimately leverage the firm performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Indonesia.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a quantitative method with a total of 274 SMEs in the Regency of Gresik, East Java, Indonesia, as the observable population. Furthermore, the identified samples obtained through the random sampling technique were determined using the Slovin formula with 163 SMEs used for analysis. As the means of analysis, this study used a statistical approach by using PLS-SEM statistics from SmartPLS software. This analytical tool has been proven to be a robust statistical tool that has been used in many marketing studies.

Findings

This study found that human capital is a key determinant of EO and MO as strategic orientations of SMEs. Furthermore, this study highlighted that SMEs’ strategic orientations (i.e. EO and MO) provide a valuable thrust that leverages firm performance. Moreover, the role of human capital in leveraging firm performance was found to be significant with the role of the joint effect of EO and MO as mediator. This implies that human capital is not solely a single determinant that leverages SMEs’ performance.

Research limitations/implications

There are few aspects of limitations in this research that could be enhanced by other scholars in the discipline of entrepreneurship. First, the strategic orientation concept being indicated by EO and MO had yet to provide a comprehensive view of strategic orientation. Second, this research used samples that represent the traditional furniture cluster in East Java and had yet to explore other clusters such as food processing and services cluster which may be relevant to the context of SMEs in Indonesia.

Practical implications

As a practical implication, this study would benefit policymakers in Indonesia, such as the Ministry for Cooperatives and SMEs to provide assistance to SMEs to progressively nurture capacity-building through formal and informal education to leverage human capital. Moreover, it could benefit other relevant businesses, such as national banks in Indonesia whose interests are significant, especially in providing financial access to SMEs in Indonesia.

Social implications

The social implication of this research lay the focus on the suggestion by which SMEs must be able to optimize their capabilities by enhancing levels of human capital particularly for traditionally managed SMEs. The ability to survive external pressures for would be able to contribute to the social well-being of their society as many people are dependent heavily in the operation of the SMEs.

Originality/value

The significance of this study is twofold. Although the use of human capital as a determinant of firm performance has been discussed in the literature, few studies to date has sought to predict human capital with EO and MO as mediators of firm performance. Furthermore, the joint impact of EO and MO as a strategic orientation needs to be holistically explored and explained, particularly in an emerging economy context.

Details

Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, vol. 25 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-5201

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 February 2023

Hafiz Muhammad Usman Khizar, Jawad Iqbal, Junaid Khalid and Zahid Hameed

This study aims to investigate how the interplay of multiple strategic orientations influences the growth-based performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The authors…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate how the interplay of multiple strategic orientations influences the growth-based performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The authors have specifically examined the direct and complementary effects of multiple strategic orientations [i.e. entrepreneurial orientation (EO), market orientation (MO) and sustainability orientation (SO)] on firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The data have been collected from 410 SMEs operating in Pakistan.

Findings

The results revealed that the multiple strategic orientations (EO, SO and MO) have positive direct as well as complementary effects on SMEs' growth-based performance. Specifically, the joint effects of EO and MO were shown higher than other combinations and complementarities. Moreover, the direct effect of SO is found far lesser than the joint implementation of SO with either EO or MO.

Originality/value

This study provides key insights into corporate sustainability, strategic orientations and SME performance literature. The implications for theory, practice, policy and future research are discussed.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 16 December 2022

Ismail Juma Ismail

The combination of strategic orientation and digitalization for sustainable competitive advantage among small businesses is still not given much…

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Abstract

Purpose

The combination of strategic orientation and digitalization for sustainable competitive advantage among small businesses is still not given much attention in the literature. Therefore, this study aims to understand the influence of strategic orientation on sustainable competitive advantage while mediating the relationship with digitalization.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a cross-sectional design. This design helped collect data from 234 small businesses in Arusha city, Tanzania. Since the study used latent variables, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze relationships and conduct confirmatory factor analysis. Through bootstrapping confidence intervals, Hayes's Process was also used to test how digitalization mediates the relationship between strategic orientations and sustainable competitive advantage.

Findings

The strategic orientation attributes that include market orientation, entrepreneurial orientation and learning orientation were positively and significantly related to digitalization. Furthermore, the results on digitalization and sustainable competitive advantage show a significant positive relationship. Finally, digitalization was analyzed to mediate the relationship between strategic orientation, market orientation, entrepreneurial orientation, learning orientation and sustainable competitive advantage. Hence, all hypotheses were supported.

Research limitations/implications

This study adopted a cross-sectional design that helped to capture the quantitative information. In addition, the current study is limited to Tanzania's small businesses; thus, the findings cannot assure generalization of the conclusion to other countries because of the differences in social, cultural and technology across countries.

Originality/value

This study integrates the concepts of strategic orientation from the strategic management discipline and digitalization from a technology perspective. As a result, the study adds new knowledge about combining two aspects and determining whether they add value in terms of providing a sustainable competitive advantage. This knowledge comes from digitalization, which acts as a mediator between strategic orientation dimensions and a sustainable competitive advantage.

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 3 October 2022

Goran Vlasic

As family and nonfamily businesses differ in how they do business, the focus of this manuscript is on understanding how strategy-level models can be misinterpreted if family…

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Abstract

Purpose

As family and nonfamily businesses differ in how they do business, the focus of this manuscript is on understanding how strategy-level models can be misinterpreted if family involvement is not considered. Thus, in this manuscript, the focus is on understanding the extent to which strategic orientations (market orientation and technology orientation, which reflect strategic approach), strategic performance metric focus (financial-based, optimization-based and market-based, which reflect strategy evaluations) and strategic audacity (which reflects boldness in envisioning and delivering strategic outcomes) play a role in driving firm performance – in family businesses vs nonfamily businesses. Understanding how these drivers impact performance differently in family vs nonfamily businesses enables companies to better direct their strategic efforts.

Design/methodology/approach

After presenting theoretical concepts, authors use regression analysis on a sample of companies in a developing European Union (EU) country (n = 282) to evaluate the impact of strategic orientation, strategic performance metric focus and strategic audacity on firm performance separately in three samples: the full sample (consisting of both family and nonfamily-owned firms), sample of family businesses and the sample of nonfamily businesses.

Findings

The role of strategic orientation, strategic audacity and focal goals in driving firm performance differs depending on the company type (family vs nonfamily). In the case of nonfamily businesses, strategic audacity and technology orientation with the focus on efficiencies and markets are driving firm performance. In the case of family businesses, both market and technology orientation are important drivers of performance; the focus on financial and market indicators of performance is positively impacting performance, while the focus on efficiency indicators is diminishing the performance of family businesses. Thus, results show that of the performance drivers for family businesses, some are insignificant (strategic audacity), while some even have a negative impact (focus on optimization-based measures of performance) on family businesses' performance. Moreover, results show that some of the drivers of performance in case of family businesses (market orientation and focus on financial-based measures of performance) are not drivers of outstanding performance in the case of nonfamily businesses.

Practical implications

Best practices differ for family vs nonfamily businesses. In case of family businesses, comparing them to nonfamily businesses, market orientation and the focus on financial-based measures of performance have a greater impact on firm performance, while, at the same time, family businesses should refrain focusing on pursuing optimization-based measures of performance as such pursuit drives down their performance. Understanding the drivers of performance specific to family businesses will enable such firms to better navigate contexts characterized by ambiguity and uncertainty.

Originality/value

The manuscript evaluates how models, generally researched in the overall firm metrics, differ between family businesses and nonfamily businesses, thus delivering new insights into the important marketing concepts.

Details

Journal of Family Business Management, vol. 13 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2043-6238

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 September 2012

Alex A. Ferraresi, Carlos O. Quandt, Silvio A. dos Santos and José R. Frega

The aim of this study is to investigate whether knowledge management (KM) contributes to the development of strategic orientation and to enhance innovativeness, and whether these

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study is to investigate whether knowledge management (KM) contributes to the development of strategic orientation and to enhance innovativeness, and whether these three factors contribute to improve business performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 241 Brazilian companies was surveyed, using Web‐based questionnaires with 54 questions, using ten‐point scales to measure the degree of agreement on each item of each construct. Structural equation modeling techniques were applied for model assessment and analysis of the relationships among constructs. Exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and path analysis using the technique of structural equation modeling were applied to the data.

Findings

Effective KM contributes positively to strategic orientation. Although there is no significant direct effect of KM on innovativeness, the relationship is significant when mediated by strategic orientation. Similarly, effective KM has no direct effect on business performance, but this relationship becomes statistically significant when mediated by strategic orientation and innovativeness.

Research limitations/implications

The findings indicate that KM permeates all relationships among the constructs, corroborating the argument that knowledge is an essential organizational resource that leverages all value‐creating activities. The results indicate that both KM and innovativeness produce significant impacts on performance when they are aligned with a strategic orientation that enables the organization to anticipate and respond to changing market conditions.

Originality/value

There is a substantial body of research on several types of relationships involving KM, strategic orientation, innovativeness and performance. This study offers an original contribution by analyzing all of those constructs simultaneously, using established scales so that comparative studies are possible.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 16 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 July 2020

Randy Kurniawan, Dyah Budiastuti, Mohammad Hamsal and Wibowo Kosasih

This study aims to examine the impact of balanced agile project management (balanced APM) on firm performance through the mediating role of market orientation and strategic

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the impact of balanced agile project management (balanced APM) on firm performance through the mediating role of market orientation and strategic agility of medium and large telecommunication technology providers in Indonesia.

Design/methodology/approach

Research data was collected from the executive management of telecommunication technology providers in Indonesia via a questionnaire survey to obtain 150 valid questionnaires for analysis. This study analyzed the overall model fit through confirmatory factor analysis and causal relationships through structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results indicate that market orientation mediates the link between balanced APM and strategic agility and that strategic agility mediates the link between market orientation and firm performance.

Research limitations/implications

The choice of single telecommunication industry in a single country, Indonesia, provides a limitation on external validity. It is, therefore, suggested to extend the research efforts to other industry sectors in multi-country environments.

Originality/value

This study extends the knowledge about agile project management by embracing balancing control enforcement and tests it empirically. This study also re-conceptualizes strategic agility to embrace business partner switching capability and market orientation to embrace the inter-partner coordination dimension. Finally, the results highlight that agile project management needs to be framed by market orientation to create higher value for customers. However, market orientation alone is not enough and that the organization requires strategic agility to achieve firm performance.

Details

Review of International Business and Strategy, vol. 30 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2059-6014

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 July 2014

Melih Madanoglu, Fevzi Okumus and Umut Avci

The purpose of this paper is to build a case against strategic equifinality. This is accomplished by employing hybrid ideal types approach and testing the effect of these strategic

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to build a case against strategic equifinality. This is accomplished by employing hybrid ideal types approach and testing the effect of these strategic types on firm performance among service firms in the context of a developing country.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected via a self-administered survey. The final sample of this study encompassed 169 ideal type hybrid companies operating in the tourism industry in Mugla, Turkey.

Findings

The research findings indicate that prospectors and hybrid prospector-analyzer (PA) orientations outperform defenders based on several financial and non-financial performance measures. However, all other strategic orientations show identical performance.

Research limitations/implications

The research findings imply that adopting a hybrid strategy is a viable option. In addition, SMEs in developing countries should exercise some caution when deciding to adopt a defender strategy.

Originality/value

This study uses hybrid ideal types for service firms in a dynamic business environment in a developing country.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 52 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 January 2022

Sanjay Chaudhary, Deepak Sangroya, Elisa Arrigo and Giuseppe Cappiello

In this study, the authors examine the influence of market orientation on small firms' performance. The authors theorize that the association between market orientation and small…

Abstract

Purpose

In this study, the authors examine the influence of market orientation on small firms' performance. The authors theorize that the association between market orientation and small firm performance provides an incomplete picture in a competitive environment. The application of configuration approach which involves simultaneous consideration of market orientation, strategic flexibility and competition intensity is crucial to examine driver of firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample of the research study consists of 272 small firms from an emerging economy, India. Ordinary least squares regression has been used to investigate the hypothesized relationships.

Findings

The authors noted that the three-way interaction between market orientation, strategic flexibility and competition intensity elucidates variance in small firm performance over and above a contingency model and a direct relationship.

Research limitations/implications

The findings contribute to the existing literature by exhibiting the effect of market orientation on firm performance. The configuration model suggests that small firms can outperform competitors in a lower competitive environment if they have high market orientation and high strategic flexibility investment. To leverage market opportunities and achieve better firm performance, small firms’ owners should analyze the usefulness of current capabilities in a changing competitive environment concurrently and align market orientation to those conditions.

Originality/value

The strategic management and marketing literature suggests that relationship between market orientation and performance is ambiguous. The findings offer insights to managers regarding the appropriate use of strategic flexibility in leveraging the benefits of market orientation in a highly competitive environment. Furthermore, by collecting data from the context of an emerging economy, India, the authors attempt to strengthen the applicability of market orientation in different contexts.

Details

International Journal of Emerging Markets, vol. 18 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-8809

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 61000