Erin Cavusgil

Dynamic Capabilities View: Foundations and Research Agenda

The evolution of scholarly thought on the sources of firm-specific advantage has had a relatively long history. A contemporary view of how competitive advantage is sustained in dynamic markets is offered by the dynamic capabilities (DC) view. The DC view is treated as an offshoot of the resource-based view. Based on a review of the empirical and conceptual works that have utilized the DC view, the paper articulates the merits of this theoretical perspective for marketing scholars. Contributions of the DC perspective to theory building, empirical research, and the practice of marketing are clarified. Conclusions are presented as well as directions for future research.

The impact of supply chain integration on brand equity

Purpose – As measuring returns on intangible assets has become more and more crucial in the contemporary business environment, this study seeks to explore the impact of a firms supply‐chain specific intangible assets on firm performance, drawing on the dynamic capabilities view of the firm.Design/methodology/approach – As an exploratory study that links supply chain activities with firm brand, the study investigates how a firms supply chain characteristics, such as interfirm activity integration, interfirm system integration, and supply chain responsiveness, affect brand equity and ultimately firm performance, based on responses from 184 US supply chain managers.Findings – The results of the study indicate that both interfirm system integration and supply chain responsiveness have a direct positive effect on brand equity. However, the effect of interfirm activity integration on brand equity is totally mediated by supply chain responsiveness.Research limitations/implications – The study relied on a singl...

Are Pharmaceutical Marketing Decisions Calibrated to Communications Effects

Marketing managers continually struggle with how to maximize the effects of an integrated marketing communications strategy. The growing number of available communication outlets, as well as highly varying competitive landscapes, adds further complexity to this challenge. This empirical study examines the differential impact within a pharmaceutical market therapeutic category where both “push” and “pull” communication strategies operate on consumers and gatekeepers alike, in an atmosphere of unrelenting product innovation and broad competition. Furthermore, we explore how two contingency variables—(a) the competitive landscape, and (b) the products length of time on the market—interact with these communication efforts and affect brand and category sales.

Middle-Class Consumers in Emerging Markets: Conceptualization, Propositions, and Implications for International Marketers

As emerging markets gain significance in the global economy, understanding the middle-class customers within these dynamic economies becomes even more critical for international marketers. This article contributes to the limited but growing literature on this topic. International marketing scholars and practitioners should be better informed about this megatrend. What does the “middle class” really mean? What are the theoretical underpinnings for the middle-class phenomenon? What are the implications for international marketing? To address these pressing questions, the authors explore the middle-class phenomenon in emerging markets. Through an examination of conceptual underpinnings and empirical observations, they present a conceptualization and several theoretical propositions. Finally, they provide managerial and scholarly implications of the middle-class phenomenon and offer suggestions for further research.

NUMBER OF R&D ALLIANCES AND INNOVATION OUTPUT — NONLINEAR RELATIONSHIP EVIDENCE FROM THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY

What is the precise nature of the relationship between a firm’s research and development alliance portfolio size and its innovation output? The existing literature is inconclusive between a positive linear relationship and a nonlinear variant. To address the issue, this study explores the relationship between alliance portfolio size and innovation output in the context of the pharmaceutical industry. Contrary to previous investigations, our results suggest increasing returns at a diminishing rate at a low to moderate alliance portfolio level while exhibiting increasingly higher returns at a moderate to high level of portfolio size. An advantage of the present investigation is that we draw from a larger data set of alliance agreements compared to earlier investigations. Additionally, the results provide improved reliability compared to previous studies where violations of some underlying assumptions have been overlooked. The paper concludes with a discussion of findings and suggestions for future research.