Gary Knight

Entrepreneurship and Marketing Strategy: The SME Under Globalization

Globalization and the emergence of internationally active small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are key worldwide trends. The author investigates the interrelationships of entrepreneurial orientation, marketing strategy, tactics, and firm performance among SMEs affected by globalization. The author offers empirical findings and conclusions on the critical roles of entrepreneurship and marketing to assist SME managers.

Entrepreneurship and strategy in the international SME

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have begun to play a critical role in international trade. Statistics from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and other sources indicate that SMEs now account for a very substantial proportion of exports from most industrialized nations. But very little is known about the effect of having an international entrepreneurial orientation, or the role of specific strategies associated with this construct, on the foreign performance of such firms. Using data from an empirical study of SMEs, we devise a structural model that reveals the role of international entrepreneurial orientation, key strategic activities, and the collective effect of these constructs on the international performance of the modern, international SME. These findings and their implications for scholars and managers are discussed.

An inquiry into born‐global firms in Europe and the USA

Companies that internationalise at or near their founding, “born globals,” are emerging in great numbers world‐wide. Characterised by a specific Gestalt of marketing‐related competencies, they are playing an increasing role in international trade. Born globals are investigated using data from case and survey‐based studies in Denmark and the USA. First introduces and describes the born‐global phenomenon. Then, hypotheses are developed and tested via a structural model that represents key factors in the international success of this important breed of firm. Results suggest that born‐global international performance is enhanced in the wake of managerial emphasis on foreign customer focus and marketing competence. Product quality and differentiation strategy also play important roles, particularly in the US firms. These and additional findings are discussed in light of their theoretical and practical implications.

International services marketing: review of research, 1980‐1998

The literature on international services marketing from 31 academic journals in the period 1980 to 1998 is reviewed. This time frame contains the largest proportion of scholarly works published on international services marketing to date. Results reveal that the extant literature is relatively sparse, with much research focused on highly specific industries or topic areas. Major findings from leading sectors as well as from general works are presented. The special characteristics of services are discussed in light of requirements for successful international marketing success. A call is made for future research which can extend international services marketing with regard to needed theories, models and constructs.

A flexible model of consumer country‐of‐origin perceptions: A cross‐cultural investigation

There is much research suggesting that the image consumers hold about a product’s country of origin can influence their purchase decision, but little empirical work has focused on the underlying cognitive processing. A flexible model is devised and tested to represent country image processing, using data from large samples of US and Japanese consumers. In addition to strongly supporting the validity of the model, results suggest that country image cognitive processing is significantly more complex than previously thought, and that culture appears to play an important role in purchase decisions. The flexible model represents a substantive improvement in the depiction of cognitive processing regarding country‐of‐origin image.

Information internalisation in internationalising the firm

Abstract Internationalisation occurs when the firm expands its selling, production, or other business activities into international markets. Many enterprises, especially small- and medium-size firms (SMEs), are internationalising today at an unprecedented rate. Managers are strategically using information to achieve degrees of internationalisation previously considered the domain of large firms. We extend existing explanations of firm internationalisation by examining the nature and fundamental, antecedent role of internalising appropriate information and translating it into relevant knowledge. Based on case studies of internationalising firms, we advance a conceptualisation of information internalisation and knowledge creation within the firm as it achieves internationalisation readiness. In the process, we offer several propositions intended to guide future research.

Consumer preferences for foreign and domestic products

Compares consumer preferences for goods made abroad and in the home country by both foreign and home‐country firms. These preferences and the intervening role of price‐quality attributes are assessed in an empirical study using conjoint analysis and a MANOVA procedure. Results suggest that country of manufacture and product quality strongly influence consumer decision making in globally available product categories. Specifically, compared to imported goods, consumers appear to prefer domestically manufactured goods and are often willing to pay a higher price for them. It is usually only when imported goods are of significantly superior quality that consumers will pay more to obtain them. Finally, in their purchase decisions, consumers appear not to put much weight on a product’s perceived importance to the home country’s manufacturing base.

Born Global Firms: A New International Enterprise

This book helps managers and scholars understand the born-global phenomenon. We offer a comprehensive treatment of born globals, from distinctive features of these companies, to strategies that they use for international success, to implications of the phenomenon for international small- and medium-sized enterprises. We review useful theories and frameworks, as well as introduce a new field based on the born-global phenomenon - international entrepreneurship.

The Critical Role of Product Quality in the International Performance of Industrial Firms

Abstract With the increasing involvement of industrial firms in foreign markets, there is a need for research on the role of specific orientations and strategies in international success. This need is motivated in part by the special challenges posed in the international environment of business. A key lever in the success of any firm is product quality. While perhaps the most important single factor affecting business performance, qualitys role in foreign markets has received little research attention. To investigate quality and other approaches in the international management of industrial firms, we conducted a series of case studies. Based on resultant findings and relevant theory, we then devised a structural model and assessed its validity using data from a survey-based study of internationally active industrial firms. Results confirmed that in addition to quality, international market orientation, technical reputation, and generic strategies all play important roles in the international performance of industrial firms.

Research Productivity in the Journal of Business Research: 1985-1999

Abstract This article presents a thorough analysis of the research published in the Journal of Business Research ( JBR ) during the period of 1985–1999. First, each article published in JBR was categorized into a primary content area according to the broad subject areas covered by the journals editorial review boards. Marketing represents the largest area with 33% of the articles, followed by buyer behavior (18%) and international business (16%). Second, the contributing authors during the period of 1985–1999 were ranked according to the number of articles they had published in the journal. William R. Darden was the most published author with 9 articles, whereas Cynthia Webster was ranked first when adjusting for coauthorship. A similar analysis was conducted at the institutional level, with Louisiana State University being the top publisher with 27 articles. Additionally, we examined the impact of the published JBR articles in the top 12 journals corresponding to the JBR content areas. In this analysis, we found that JBR articles are heavily referenced in JBR , Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science ( JAMS ), Journal of Marketing ( JM ), Journal of Retailing ( JR ), Journal of Marketing Research ( JMR ), Journal of International Business Studies ( JIBS ), and Journal of International Marketing ( JIM ). Individually, the JBR contributions by Robert E. Spekman and Shelby D. Hunt have had the most impact in the 12 journals used in the citation analysis. On the article level, the contribution by Emin Babakus and Gregory W. Boller titled “An Empirical Assessment of the SERVQUAL Scale” (published in 1992) has been the most frequently referenced article, having been cited 16 times since its publication.