Jeannette A. Mena

Firm-Specific Assets, Multinationality, and Financial Performance: A Meta-Analytic Review and Theoretical Integration

Drawing upon internalization theory, this study investigates the complex relationships involving firm-specific assets, multinationality, and financial performance. Through a meta-analysis of 120 independent samples reported in 111 studies, we test the predictions of internalization theory in the context of the multinationality-performance relationship. Moreover, we further develop and refine our understanding of internalization theory with a focus on the effects of firm-specific assets on the multinationality-performance relationship. Findings suggest that while advertising intensity fully mediates the relationship between multinationality and performance, R&D intensity has both direct and indirect effects on firm performance. In addition, the results delineate the conditions under which firm-specific assets have the strongest impact on the extent to which multinationality relates to performance. Meta-analytic evidence also suggests that multinationality has intrinsic value above and beyond the intangible assets that firms possess after controlling for firms’ international experience, age, size, and product diversification.

A Ten Country-Company Study of Sustainability and Product-Market Performance: Influences of Doing Good, Warm Glow, and Price Fairness

Countries, companies, and customers are becoming increasingly concerned with sustainability. However, it is unclear how much increased cost, if any, companies are willing to tolerate for sustainability efforts at the rate of potentially lower profits. Plus, what are the customers’ sensitivities to the prices of products/services that are developed within the realm of sustainability initiatives (e.g., how much more can the products/services cost and still be viable)? Additionally, with 193 countries of the United Nations ratifying the Sustainable Development Goals, we know that countries are focused on sustainability, but can companies achieve positive sustainability effects on performance above what countries are doing? Consequently, what are the macro-micro dynamics in play for sustainability efforts? In a 10-country study involving 4,051 companies, we examine these macro-micro (country-company) dynamics, company costs, customer costs, and price sensitivities on the effects of sustainability on companies’ performance. The results indicate that positive effects on companies’ performance can be achieved (1) from the companies’ sustainability efforts in all 10 countries studied, (2) even if the costs and/or prices increased by 27 to 72 percent (depending on the dynamic and scenario), and (3) by companies implementing sustainability efforts that are 5 to 30 percent above the efforts of the country. Increased sustainability effects can also be gained from lowering customer and company costs, but no such effects were found when lowering product prices.

Stakeholder-Focused Organizational Learning, Responsiveness and Innovation / Imitation

Success in the global marketplace is increasingly determined by the information and know-how organizations possess. While valuable research contributions have been made concerning how organizations learn about their customers, much remains unknown about how organizations learn about multiple stakeholders. This is unfortunate given the increasing importance organizations place on meeting their stakeholders’ demands. In addition, previous research has failed to account for the alternative mechanisms organizations use to acquire information about the market. To address these gaps in the literature, this study examines whether stakeholder-focused organizational learning influences the organization’ propensity to take action in response to its stakeholders’ needs. It also investigates if the knowledge acquisition mechanisms the organization relies on to acquire stakeholder-related knowledge determine how innovative or imitative its stakeholder practices are. The empirical analysis based on the responses of 349 marketing and supply chain management executives to an online survey reveal that the four organizational learning processes (i.e., knowledge acquisition, information distribution, information interpretation, and organizational memory) have a direct effect on stakeholder-focused responsiveness. The results also indicate that while experiential knowledge acquisition is related to innovative stakeholder practices, vicarious knowledge acquisition is related to imitative ones.

A Review of Global Competitiveness Research: Past Advances and Future Directions

The global competitiveness (GC) literature has proven to be a developing, yet critical element in international marketing research. Broadly, GC studies have become a part of the marketing, international business, and strategic management fields. In light of this far-reaching topic and to gain a unique understanding of the dynamics across the GC domain, this study examines the intellectual structure of GC research at two distinct levels of analysis: overall GC publications and marketing and international business GC articles. This review of the literature uses cocitation data to provide insight to the field and develop a research-based model for future consideration. A total of 48 journals are included, providing 1,819 articles with 115,462 citations for examination. Applying multidimensional scaling to analyze the data, the study introduces a GC-focused model and provides possible topics for research. The proposed organizing framework includes elements of a market-based perspective (offering development, market orientation, and process emphasis), strategy implementation (firm-related advantages, strategic approach, and international focus), and performance to advance the critical nature of the marketing function in the GC literature.

Editorial Reviewers’ Persepctives on Writing and Publishing in High Quality Marketing Journals: An Interactive Discussion

With the existing insights on writing and publishing marketing journal articles and the discipline’s rapid expansion of publishing opportunities in new U.S. and international marketing journals, one intuitive prediction is marketing scholars’ publishing success of important scientific articles is rapidly becoming a more common occurrence. Yet, this trend prediction is perplexing and contradictive because the prestigious and top 25 ranked marketing-oriented journals consistently report annual acceptance rates ranging between 7 and 18%. The low acceptance suggest a disconnect gap between conducting important, relevant quality research and ultimately publishing that research in quality journals.

Advancing Stakeholder Marketing Through Resource-Based Theory

The creation and exchange of value offerings for different stakeholders has become a central component of marketing. Despite the increasing adoption of the stakeholder view among marketing academics, stakeholder marketing is still in its infancy. By applying resource-based theory (RBT) to stakeholder marketing, the paper provides a theoretical foundation to encourage further research in this stream. Because any stakeholder group or relationship can serve as a strategic resource for the firm, RBT is particularly relevant to stakeholder marketing. A critical review leads to a set of research questions aligned with five major themes for future research integrating RBT and stakeholder marketing.

A Town Hall Meeting with Editorial Reviewers: Interactive Discussion on the Issues that Create a Rejection Assessment in the Journal Review Process

With the existing insights on writing and publishing marketing journal articles and the discipline’s rapid expansion of publishing opportunities in new U.S. and international marketing journals, one intuitive prediction is marketing scholars’ publishing success of important scientific articles is rapidly becoming a more common occurrence. Yet, this trend prediction is perplexing and contradictive because the prestigious and top 25 ranked marketing-oriented journals consistently report annual acceptance rates ranging between 7 and 18%. The low acceptance suggest a disconnect gap between conducting important, relevant quality research and ultimately publishing that research in quality journals.