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Using a sample of more than 130 established exporters, this study empirically examines the information preferences of decision makers responsible for evaluating foreign markets. Export information preferences are analysed across distinct industries, and implications for export facilitating agencies and foreign parties are explored.

This study draws on the natural resource-based view to analyze the effects of technologies, managerial commitment, and firm strategy on sustainability performance, in terms of both environmental and social profits. It also examines how the effect of green technologies on sustainability performance can be triggered by a managerial commitment to sustainability issues, and by the adoption of a prospector strategy. Multiple linear regression was used to test research hypotheses on a sample of 426 Spanish tourism firms. The results provide important insights into the importance of the adoption of explorer strategies fostering the strategic exploitation of green technologies to obtain new efficient processes, organizational procedures, and products. This research also shows the contingent moderating effect that managerial commitment exerts on the strategic implementation of green technologies for sustainability performance.

Two hypotheses concerning two variables that potentially influence the “add/drop” foreign market decisions of U.S. exporters of sewing machines are developed and empirically tested. The variables are import market potential, and a surrogate measure of import market competitiveness. A third variable, concerning a developing country’s “trade regime” – Import Substituting, Export Promoting (Bhagwati, 1978) – is employed as a control variable in the tests. The two hypotheses are confirmed, and the results shed light on how U.S. exporters of sewing machines should analyze data on the three variables en route to adjusting their respective portfolios of export markets in a context of making add/drop foreign market decisions. The results of the research potentially contribute to three different literatures: the international marketing literature, the competitiveness literature and the “trade regime” literature in international economics.

The authors explore the nature of commitment, job satisfaction and job characteristics, and the nature of the interrelationships among these variables concerning expatriate employees in Saudi Arabia. An examination of a sample of 504 expatriate employees reveals that these employees are, by and large, indifferent with respect to their perceptions of commitment, job satisfaction, and job characteristics. In addition, the results provide strong support for (1) the influence of job satisfaction on commitment, (2) the influence of job variety on commitment, and (3) the influence of job autonomy, identity, and feedback on job satisfaction.

Focuses on two fundamental issues facing firms competing in the global arena, namely – how should executives responsible for success in international consumer markets allocate their scare marketing resources? And why, based on what methods, should they do this? Concentrating on global/pan‐European consumers in the northern European country of Finland, a quasi‐longitudinal “gap analysis” of US versus Japanese product and marketing efforts is undertaken. Using empirical evidence gathered every five years (from 1975 to 1995), this research examines which dimensions of marketing contribute most to specific consumers’ “purchase and use” preferences? And, where (which “gaps”) should organizations competing for global consumers concentrate their marketing efforts in order to be successful? It is argued that the method employed in this research can be utilized in any global marketing setting to identify the most promising areas for resource expenditures.

Reviews and synthesizes the literature addressing the concept of strategic orientation and examines the relationship between strategic orientation and export success. Uses survey data from experienced export managers to test the relationship between proactive and reactive strategic orientations and success in exporting empirically. Key dimensions of a proactive strategic orientation are found to be significantly correlated with export success.

The extent of national export volume attributable to the small firm sector within the UK does not compare favourably with that of certain other European countries/ particularly Germany and Italy. In an attempt to enhance the export competitiveness of this firm sector recent policy, research and management attention has been devoted to influences underlying export development. This article contributes to this knowledge by reviewing extensive research studies that have reported on one aspect of this topic: the international orientation of the decision maker within the small firm.

Reports the results of a study of experienced exporters and their perceived importance of various types of foreign market information relevant to target market selection. In general, findings indicate that information related to market potential is most highly valued, and information related to culture is rated least important. Differences in perceived importance ratings across types of industry, country of destination, and type of export transaction are examined and implications for exporters, export facilitators, and government agencies are presented.

Over the last five years, the once vaulted system known as product management has been under attack. Challenged by a variety of mega‐trends, including rising consumer expectations and expertise, revolutionary changes in technology, and shifting power in channels of distribution, product managers now face an environment much more demanding than that of the past. Examines the role of product managers of consumer goods in this new environment, within the context of a conceptual model developed to understand better the dynamics underlying their job performance and satisfaction. The model highlights the interactions among boundary spanning, information power and interfunctional coordination, and incorporates the concepts of strategic orientation, role conflict and role ambiguity. In all, 17 propositions are advanced for future empirical testing.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of and the management of creative individuals in organizations.

The paper integrates concepts including a range of recently published (1995‐2006) theoretical works in the creative culture, creativity, and innovation literature.

The paper provides information and action approaches to marketers to aid them in harnessing creative talent within their organizations. Relevant literature shows that communities may be magnets that attract or repel creative individuals. Organizations can engineer themselves to become attractive to creatives. If marketers are skillful in managing creative individuals, the organization may enjoy increased competitiveness.

The theoretical concepts that form the foundation of the paper appear to have a significant application to consumer marketing but have not been tested empirically.

The study explores a global effect that has implications for the nature and scope of marketing orientation performance.

This paper describes the nature and application of creativity and creative culture to marketing. While most literature has concentrated on the city or community level, the paper provides a perspective that may help to nurture the creativity of individuals within an organization. It offers the potential of increasing marketing competitiveness by allowing firms to maximize their creativity as a competitive tool.