João S. Oliveira

Level of analysis in export performance research

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide researchers and journal reviewers with guidance regarding the appropriate level of analysis when developing and testing theory on export performance determinants. The authors’ focus is on the implications this has for the measurement of export performance.Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes the form of an essay.Findings – Researchers should measure export performance at the level at which the theory is developed. Most export performance theory developed is inherently export function level theory, requiring export function level measurement of performance. Less commonly, researchers may develop theory at the intra‐firm level, which requires performance data from multiple export ventures within firms for theory testing purposes. Researchers rarely have cause to collect data from a single export venture from firms, since data at this level are unlikely to generalize to the firm as a whole, and may lead to a biased picture of the determinants of over...

Spontaneity and international marketing performance

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to ascertain how today’s international marketers can perform better on the global scene by harnessing spontaneity. Design/methodology/approach: The authors draw on contingency theory to develop a model of the spontaneity – international marketing performance relationship, and identify three potential moderators, namely, strategic planning, centralization, and market dynamism. The authors test the model via structural equation modeling with survey data from 197 UK exporters. Findings: The results indicate that spontaneity is beneficial to exporters in terms of enhancing profit performance. In addition, greater centralization and strategic planning strengthen the positive effects of spontaneity. However, market dynamism mitigates the positive effect of spontaneity on export performance (when customer needs are volatile, spontaneous decisions do not function as well in terms of ensuring success). Practical implications: Learning to be spontaneous when making export decisions appears to result in favorable outcomes for the export function. To harness spontaneity, export managers should look to develop company heuristics (increase centralization and strategic planning). Finally, if operating in dynamic export market environments, the role of spontaneity is weaker, so more conventional decision-making approaches should be adopted. Originality/value: The international marketing environment typically requires decisions to be flexible and fast. In this context, spontaneity could enable accelerated and responsive decision-making, allowing international marketers to realize superior performance. Yet, there is a lack of research on decision-making spontaneity and its potential for international marketing performance enhancement.

A multilevel perspective to the study of export venture performance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present several opportunities that can emerge from using a multilevel approach to study the antecedents of export venture performance, and provide scholars with the conceptual and practical tools for developing multilevel models of export venture success. Design/methodology/approach Essay. Findings The paper shows the problems which scholars face if they continue to engage in using single venture data to test models that are inherently multilevel in nature. Research limitations/implications There may be a need to revisit previous works that utilize samples of single ventures to assess models of export venture performance that are implicitly multilevel. Practical implications This paper outlines the practical issues that researchers need to consider when conducting multilevel research in the export venture performance field. Originality/value This paper is the first to focus on the multilevel nature of the export venture performance construct.

Cross-Functional Dispersion of Export Marketing Decision-Making and Export Performance: A Study of UK Firms—An Abstract

Participation of multiple functional areas within firms in marketing decision-making (i.e. cross-functional dispersion of influence on marketing activities) is a key predictor of business performance, because it provides firms with the ability to effectively respond to changes in business environments. However, research concerning the impact of cross-functional dispersion of influence on export marketing decisions on export performance is lacking. This is problematic because it is well established in the literature that the relationships between overall business performance and its antecedents do not translate automatically to the export context, because of the distinctive nature of the firm’s export activities. In this study, we seek to rectify this situation via analyzing the empirical link between cross-functional dispersion of export marketing decision-making and export performance. We also examine internal and external boundary conditions of such a link. Specifically, we investigate the moderating roles of export market dynamism, export information sharing, and interfunctional goal alignment. We test our model using a sample of UK exporting firms. Our findings indicate that cross-functional dispersion of export marketing decision-making is useful for export performance only in circumstances where firms’ export customer environments are dynamic and, simultaneously, export technological dynamism and export information sharing are both low. In all the other cases examined, cross-functional dispersion of export marketing decision-making seems to harm export performance.

National-Regional Diversification Strategy and Export Performance: An Extended Abstract

Diversification strategies continue to draw scholars’ attention, and the globalization trend encourages managers to seek new diversification strategies. While research on geographic diversification is voluminous, little is known about the simultaneous interplay among national and regional diversification strategies and how their interaction affects performance. This study proposes the export national-regional diversification approach, views it as a source of export flexibility, and examines its effect on export success. Drawing on data from exporting UK firms, findings show that the simultaneous national and regional diversification strategies affect export performance, but these effects are dependent on firm internal and external contingencies. Managers in exporting firms should employ simultaneously national-regional diversification strategies.