Li Ling-yee

The influence of interfirm relational capabilities on export advantage and performance: an empirical analysis

Owing to the nature of the export channel environment, exporting firms cannot rely solely on their internal competencies for achieving competitive advantages and export success. Instead, exporters must look beyond the firms boundary to tap into the distinctive competencies of external actors such as distributors if they want to realize the full potential of their products. Yet, there is little empirical evidence of the strategic impact of resources and capabilities that can be shared in marketings cooperative relationships. This study raises two research questions: (1) does a firms relational capability contribute to its export competitive advantages? and (2) does a firms relational factors make an incremental contribution to its export advantage and performance beyond the contribution of firm factors. A significant conclusion of this study is that after controlling for internal firm factors, relational factors make a unique contribution to both the competitive advantages of the firm and its export performance.

Effect of export financing resources and supply-chain skills on export competitive advantages: implications for superior export performance

Although many studies have sought to discover the determinants of superior export performance, far less attention was given to the sources of competitive advantage and the resources or capabilities required to build up competitive advantage in export markets. To address these issues in the export competitive advantage literature, this study utilized the resource-based theory of the firm to conceptualize export competitive advantages as the outcomes of how management conceptualizes the firms resource base and how management leverages the firms core competencies to grow over time. This study also postulated that creating export competitive advantages can be expected to bring along superior export performance. Empirically, this study identified export financing resources and export supply-chain management skills as significant contributors to both low-cost and high-differentiation export competitive advantages. Furthermore, this study maintained that managements perceived export advantages seem to be an important determinant of export performance.

The effects of firm resources on trade show performance: how do trade show marketing processes matter?

Purpose – Previous studies explored only the direct effect of industry, company and trade show strategy influence factors on trade show performance and left the intervening processes virtually unexplored. The purpose of this paper is to provide one of the first empirical tests of the intervening role of trade show marketing processes (pre‐show promotion, at‐show selling, and post‐show follow‐up) in the relationship between resource allocation and performance of trade shows.Design/methodology/approach – This study used the Directory of Chinese Export Commodities Fair Exhibitors as its sampling frame. From this directory, a systematic random sample of 1,000 firms was drawn. A final total of 444 exhibitor firms fully completed the questionnaires, resulting in a response rate of 44.4 per cent. The hypotheses were tested by regression analysis, the appropriate procedure for assessing interdependent variables, since trade show marketing processes are interdependent.Findings – The results show that the effect of...

Antecedents and effect of internet implementation for trade shows

Purpose – Taking the dynamic capability and institutional perspectives, this study seeks to examine how capability‐driven and institution‐driven factors influence usage of internet technology in trade show markets. The current study also examines the influence of the usage of the internet for trade show marketing on performance of trade shows.Design/methodology/approach – Structural equation modeling was undertaken to test the research model in a sample of 414 exhibitors at the Chinese Export Commodity Fair.Findings – Overall, the results point to the powerful influence of the usage of the internet for trade show marketing on trade show performance as perceived by exhibitors. The specific results also reveal that, while a websites capability in providing quality information facilitates the usage of the company website for pre‐show promotion, an exhibitors legitimacy motive of using its website to build up the company image contributes to the usage of the company website for at‐show selling, and the firm...

The Effects of Relationship Governance Mechanisms on Relationship Performance: How Do Relationship Learning Processes Matter?

Abstract Relationship governance improves performance and is considered as the key to the creation of competitive advantage in the twenty-first century. The extant literature examined the direct effect of relationship governance of commitment, consensus, and communication on relationship performance outcomes and hence ignored the intervening processes. The purpose of this study is to provide one of the first empirical tests of the intervening role of relationship learning processes (i.e., joint information sharing, sense-making, and memory-building) in the linkage between relationship governance mechanisms (i.e., commitment, consensus, and communication) and relationship performance (i.e., relational efficiency and relational effectiveness). By empirically exploring the notion of partial mediation of the effects of relationship governance through relationship learning processes, this study has opened up a fruitful avenue for future research on relationship marketing.

Effect of marketing control on export venture performance : the moderating role of relationship intensity and market dynamism

Abstract Although the prescriptive literature in the area of international marketing asserts that effective control of foreign distributors can lead to superior export performance, there is very little empirical data to support it. The few studies that examined the effect of control on export performance reported very mixed findings and did not address whether control mechanisms interact with environmental uncertainty and channel relationship to influence the performance of export ventures. In order to address this gap in the literature, this study tests whether or not market dynamism (in terms environmental uncertainty) and relationship intensity play a moderating role regarding the effect of control on export venture performance.

The effect of marketing capability, financing resource and spatial configuration on market-focused flexibility

In spite of the normative appeal of flexibility, the concept has rarely been considered from strategic marketing perspective. Without being market focused, flexibility will not result in superior value creation and sustainable competitive advantage. In the light of the above shortcomings, this study examined a firms flexibility with reference to a specified export venture market. Based upon the strategic marketing perspective, this study identified three sets of antecedents of market-focused flexibility: marketing capabilities, financing resources and spatial configurations. The empirical evidences showed reasonable support for the proposed model. In addition, this study brought clear evidences demonstrating the powerful effect of market-focused flexibility on competitive advantages and performance in the corresponding markets. As a whole, this study helps scholars and managers to better conceptualise and measure market-focused flexibility, understand how it develops in the firm and how it works together with other important resources and capabilities to affect outcomes.

The Effects of Relationship Governance Mechanisms on Relationship Performance

Abstract Relationship governance improves performance and is considered as the key to the creation of competitive advantage in the twenty-first century. The extant literature examined the direct effect of relationship governance of commitment, consensus, and communication on relationship performance outcomes and hence ignored the intervening processes. The purpose of this study is to provide one of the first empirical tests of the intervening role of relationship learning processes (i.e., joint information sharing, sense-making, and memory-building) in the linkage between relationship governance mechanisms (i.e., commitment, consensus, and communication) and relationship performance (i.e., relational efficiency and relational effectiveness). By empirically exploring the notion of partial mediation of the effects of relationship governance through relationship learning processes, this study has opened up a fruitful avenue for future research on relationship marketing.

Determinants of Export Performance: Research Evidence from Mainland China

Despite the substantial quantity of work that has been done in the area of export marketing and performance over the last three decades, according to Aaby and Slater (1989), as well as Cavusgil and Kirpalani (1993), there still remain few generalizable conclusions that can help guide firms in their export endeavors. Reviews by Bilkey (1978), and Cavusgil and Nevin (1981), Reid (1983), Madsen (1987), Aaby and Slater (1989), and Da Rocha and Christensen (1994) indicated that the international literature is contradictory with mixed empirical evidence. In the light of the shortcomings of the export marketing literature, Da Rocha and Christensen (1994) called for additional research to examine to what extent export management theories and practices developed in the West are applicable to the developing countries. Styles and Ambler (1994) also called for future research to empirically test a comprehensive list of variables that might influence export performance. This paper will be presenting the results of a study in China that was designed to investigate the relative importance of the key success factors of export marketing put forward by various paradigm (including: management commitment paradigm, firm competence paradigm, strategic management paradigm, industrial organization paradigm, relationship paradigm, etc.). This study surveys three major cities in China namely Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong. Discriminant analysis will be used to identify the relative importance of key success factors differentiating success export ventures from unsuccessful export ventures.

Export venture flexibility: its antecedents and effects on performance

In spite of the normative appeal of flexibility, the concept has rarely been considered from a strategic marketing perspective. Without being market focused, flexibility will not result in superior value creation and a sustainable competitive advantage. In the light of the above shortcomings, this study examined a firms flexibility with reference to specific export venture markets. Based upon the export channel marketing literature, this study identified additional previously unexplored antecedents of flexibility. The empirical evidences of 222 export venture cases showed reasonable support for the proposed model. In addition, this study brought clear evidence demonstrating the positive effect of flexibility on performance in the corresponding export venture markets.