Varinder M. Sharma

Resource-Based Explanation of Entry Mode Choice

The development of new and better, theoretically sound and managerially useful, explanations for host country production and marketing modes and export modes have been consistently pursued by entry mode scholars. Consequently, we have a rich diversity of explanations for these modes based upon three different market-based paradigms of the firm. Building upon these approaches and recent advancements in the theory of the firm, we propose a resource-based theoretical platform that not only offers new explanations for the choice of host country production and marketing modes and export modes, but also augments them.

Recognizing the Importance of Consumer Bargaining: Strategic Marketing Implications

Consumer bargaining is a global phenomenon operating, essentially, in every product category since time immemorial. With the recognition of exchange as central to marketing, it should have been one of the most developed areas of research but many scholars lacked interest in it. This has created a paucity of managerial implications. Over the last decade, consumer bargaining has flourished in the U.S. and firms have started not only coping with it but also encouraging it. In this work, we offer a framework of consumer bargaining, discuss its drivers of growth, offer responsive marketing strategies and areas for future research.

Industrial and Organizational Salesforce Roles: A Relationship-Based Perspective

Traditionally, the industrial and organizational salesforce roles were conceptualized for handling competitive buyer-seller markets, which have increasingly become long term relationship-oriented. Long term relationships operate under frameworks of cooperation, which need to be developed and managed for effective functioning. This change in the buyer-seller markets requires a fresh look at the salesforce roles. In this work, we examine the inadequacy of the traditional conceptualizations of salesforce roles, offer a relationship-based perspective of the roles and compare them with the traditional roles.

Export Management Companies and E-Business: Impact on Export Services, Product Portfolio, and Global Market Coverage

The impact of e-business on export management companies (EMCs) has been a subject of serious debate for some time and several reasons for their survival have been forwarded. Based upon the resource-based perspective of the firm, this study suggests that the primary reason for the survival of the well-established EMCs would be their market-based assets. By intertwining these assets with e-business, EMCs would not only reinintermediate, but would also become more efficient and effective. This study advances the literature by analyzing the impact of e-business proliferation on the exporting services, product portfolio, and international market coverage of EMCs.

Impact of e‐business on the exporting services of export management companies

The impact of e‐business on export management companies (EMCs) has been debated for some time and several reasons for their survival have been forwarded. Based upon the resource‐based perspective of the firm, this study provides a far more fundamental reason for the survival of the well‐established EMCs‐their market‐based assets. Furthermore, this study analyzes the impact of e‐business proliferation on the well‐established EMCs transaction creating and physical fulfillment exporting services and their efficiency and effectiveness.

Redefining Industrial Salesforce Roles in a Changing Environment: Strategic Issues in Selection, Training, and Management

Traditional roles of salespeople in industrial markets are highly specific to the context of selling. One of the primary objectives of these roles was to achieve immediate product sales and ultimately to sustain these sales over the long-term. However, ongoing developments in the competitive environment of industrial firms have rendered these traditional roles increasingly less effective in generating loyalty among buyers. This paper examines the nature of these developments and proposes redefined roles that the industrial salesforce would have to play to generate long-term loyalty among buyers. Implications for the selection, training, and management of the salesforce are also discussed.

E-business-spawned EMCs: an overlooked aspect of the impact of e-business proliferation on EMCs

The impact of e-business proliferation on export marketing intermediaries and, in particular, on Export Management Companies (EMCs), has been a subject of serious debate among international business scholars. However, the debate remained focused on the reintermediation or disintermediation aspects of EMCs and overlooked the aspect that e-business could also spawn new types of EMCs, labelled here as E-Business-Spawned EMCs (EBS-EMCs). This study develops a comprehensive framework on the impact of e-business proliferation on EMCs and brings into light the emergence of EBS-EMCs. The study also describes the types of EBS-EMCs and the factors favouring their emergence.

A comparative assessment of resources of e-business-spawned and e-business-adopting export management companies

The spread of e-business not only compelled the existing export management companies (EMCs) to reintermediate themselves, but also engineered the formation of new types of EMCs. Although the international business literature is mostly aware of the resource profiles of the traditional EMCs that adopted e-business and became reintermediated, however, little is known about the resource profiles of the new types of EMCs. This study advances the literature by building a comparative assessment of resource profiles of the new types of EMCs, necessary for the future development of responsive export marketing strategies for all types of EMCs and their suppliers.

German Millennials’ Decision-Making Styles and Their Intention to Participate in Online Group Buying

Abstract This study focuses on the relationship between consumer decision-making style (CDMS) of German millennials and their intention to participate (ITP) in online group buying (OGB). We make substantive contributions to the literature of consumer behavior and electronic commerce in particular. The study conducts structural equation modeling to analyze data obtained from a sample of 591 German millennials, an economically powerful young generation constituting the main beneficiaries of OGB websites. Data analysis yields significant relations among millennials between a perfectionistic, brand-conscious, price-conscious, impulsive, and novelty-seeking CDMS and their ITP in OGB. Whereas the price-conscious CDMS dominates the picture, there are also gender-based differences, with female millennials who occupy impulsive or novelty-seeking CDMSs having a higher ITP in OGB. In contrast, male millennials with a brand-conscious CDMS have a higher ITP, and male perfectionists avoid OGB sites. Our results offer managerial value to OGB websites to cater to specific CDMSs of millennial buyers.

Consumer Bargaining Power as a Key Determinant of Market Entry in Latin American Big Emerging Markets

Firms enter foreign markets through a variety of structural arrangements such as exporting, contracting, joint ventures, or wholly owned subsidiary to implement their product market strategies. Depending upon the choice of an arrangement, the firm is limited in effectively dealing with its target customers. A number of theories such as Hymers, Internationalization, Eclectic, Transaction Cost, and Bargaining Power theory have been proposed over time to explain the entry mode choice behavior of firms. Grounded in the discipline of economics, they primarily deal with international trade amalgamated with institutional economics. Hence, one comes across such constructs as monopolistic advantage, degree of market imperfection, host market commitment, perception of market uncertainty etc. However, none of these theories have incorporated host country consumer bargaining power as a key determinant of firms entry mode choice behavior thereby ignoring the most important constituent of the product market strategy. The recent publications on Big Emerging Markets (BEMs) reveal that consumers in these countries exercise tremendous bargaining power vis-a-vis MNCs. With their rising incomes, these consumers are thirsty for variety and good quality of life, highly sensitive to price-product performance, and do not want be regarded as markets for exploitation of sunset technologies. They want products that are appropriate for their usage conditions and on their terms. Therefore, it is essential to include Consumer Bargaining Power as a key construct in the explanation of firms foreign market entry behavior. In this study, we analyze the BEM phenomenon in Latin America and propose a comprehensive new theoretical framework incorporating the consumer bargaining power as a central construct. This will help in not only advancing our understanding of entry mode choice behavior of the firm but also bring in a missing piece of the puzzle.