Relying on insights from resource dependence and information processing theory, this study analyzes the extent to which an importer's involvement influences product innovation at the industrial ...exporter firm. We consider two modes of involvement, collecting importer's feedback and importer integration in the product development effort. We propose that the relationship between importer involvement and product innovation is contingent upon the level of inter-functional coordination within the development firm, and contextual factors related to the export market. Data were collected from export companies participating in different international business-to-business markets. Results show that firms with high inter-functional coordination achieved higher leverage from importer feedback, but obtain no impact from importer integration in product development (PD). Contextual factors affect the relationship between importer involvement and product innovation: importer feedback affects product innovation in environments with intense competition and low technological turbulence. Importer integration in PD has a significant effect on product innovation in environments with low competitive intensity and high technological turbulence. This study contributes to a better understanding of the conditions that allow an exporter firm to create value through external relationships. Theoretical and managerial implications of these findings are discussed.
•Importer feedback and integration in PD contributes to product innovation at the exporter firm.•Inter-functional coordination enhances the impact of importer feedback on product innovation.•Importer feedback is significant only under intense competition and low technological turbulence.•Importer integration is significant under low competition and high technological turbulence.
The vital importance of branding in global markets is accepted by both practitioners and scholars. However, there is a lack of research to explain the relationship between international strategic ...brand management (ISBM) and export performance. Drawing on contingency theory and the concept of strategic fit, this study develops a model of the ISBM-export performance relationship, and identifies four potential external environment moderators, namely foreign market competitive intensity, foreign market buyer incongruence, national export policy and domestic market competitive environment.Using a sample of successful UK exporters, the findings support the argument that the link between ISBM and export performance is contingent upon particular external environmental moderating factors. The implications suggest that certain multifaceted external environmental conditions may be more advantageous for practitioners to strategically manage their brand in overseas markets than had previously been realized.
Economic sustainability allows hotel customers and other stakeholders to profit from hospitality services. Hotels can improve their marketing success by leveraging technologies and innovation ...strategy initiatives to suit guests’ ever-changing needs. Thus, this paper investigated the effect of service quality on marketing performance among hotels in Jordan. In addition, it analyzed the moderating role of operational innovation and external environment on the relationship between service quality and marketing performance among Jordanian hotels. This study was quantitative and used the pretested questionnaire by interviewing general managers. The valid questionnaires were distributed stratified randomly to general hotel managers. The analyzed data were from 162 completed questionnaires, employing partial least squares analysis software. The results demonstrate a positive relationship between service quality and marketing performance. Moreover, this relationship was moderated by operational innovation and external environment. Clearly, the managers in Jordanian hotels might find and draw business strategies by linking the marketing performance with the service quality specifically (SERVQUAL) and employing management and technologies strategies through its operational innovation and external environment.
Purpose This study aims to provide a systemic and integrated view of how Industry 4.0 and its enabling technologies affect companies' internal and external environments. It offers a comprehensive ...view of the contribution about ten years after the start of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Design/methodology/approach The study performs a systematic literature review based on Industry 4.0 management literature. Analyzing the results of the 308 final papers in the sample made it possible to build a theoretical model to explain the contribution of Industry 4.0 to the internal and external environment of the company. Findings The results highlight the contribution of Industry 4.0 to the processes and environment of the company by providing a systemic and integrated view, highlighting the most applied enabling technologies and their internal, external, and combined usefulness in business processes. Research limitations/implications Finally, the paper provides a broad view of the Industry 4.0 topic ten years after its origin through an extensive literature analysis that allows us to highlight the significant studies and the areas still under-researched by researchers and opens the debate on the Industry 5.0 scenario. Originality/value The model makes it possible to appreciate the role of Industry 4.0 and its enabling technologies in companies in a broad and systemic view and to understand, from a managerial point of view, the interactions, synergies, and possibilities within processes and the reflection on the external environment.
As an independent research field, there is growing attention to university–business cooperation (UBC). However, few studies focus on the driving factors of UBC, which remains an open problem in this ...area. This study analyzes a broad mix of drivers underlying seven UBC activities, namely, curriculum development and design (CDD), student mobility (SD), lifelong learning (LLL), professional mobility (PM), research and development (R&D), commercialization (COM), and entrepreneurship (ENT), and discusses the internal mechanism and external environment of higher education institutions (HEIs) as the moderator variable affecting UBC activities and individual motivations. Specifically, based on the social cognition theory, the independent variables include motivations (money, career, research, education, and social), the internal mechanism (support mechanism, strategic mechanism, and management mechanism), and the external environment (policy environment, economic environment, and cultural environment) are designed. The aforementioned seven UBC activities are taken as dependent variables. This work takes university faculty as the research object. Through empirical analysis, it demonstrates that the combination of driving factors of different UBC activities has its particularity. Furthermore, the results showed that the internal mechanism and external environment of HEIs could positively moderate the relationship between individual motivations and UBC activities. In terms of theoretical contribution, this study reveals the combination of factors that drive university faculty to engage in UBC. On the other hand, it can provide a reference for policymakers and managers to better development of UBC.
The context in which entrepreneurs operate and the innovative nature of the new venture are major factors in entrepreneurial performance and success. Here, we explore the nature of entrepreneurial ...opportunities and their innovativeness in the context of the discovery–creation debate about the emergence of opportunities. We empirically capture the relevance of these two perspectives ad hoc by linking the assumptions of the formation process to specific properties of entrepreneurial actions under different environmental contexts of innovativeness. The results indicate that the environmental context entrepreneurs operate in can vary based on certain constraints. Additionally, we found that within specific contexts of discovery or creation, the process of opportunity emergence varies. Specifically, we find that search activities and formal funding are utilized more in a discovery context whereas entrepreneurial experience is more relevant in a creation context.
•Entrepreneurs actions toward the development of new opportunities is constrained by environmental contexts based on risk or uncertainty.•The innovativeness with which new opportunities arise is bound by current markets and competition.•Searching for new opportunities and formal funding are utilized more in a discovery context based on known risk.•Entrepreneurial experience is of more importance in a creation context where ability to cope with uncertainty is needed.
While most research on family business longevity focuses on how internal corporate governance issue impact resilience, the aim of this article is to foreground the relevance of external environmental ...factors, and to do so in an internationally comparative perspective. By historically comparing the largest family businesses in Germany and Spain in the twentieth century, we find that they differ significantly in age and ask how external factors help us better understand these variances. After analysing the institutional framework of the two countries during the second part of the 20th century, we explore the strategic responses developed in reaction to that framework by four of the largest family businesses in the two countries. With this, we strive to capture the interdependent nature of internal decision-making processes and external environmental changes, ultimately arguing for a more holistic understanding of family business resilience over time.
SUMMARY
Client- and auditor-related attributes are well-documented determinants of audit pricing, but the number of empirical archival studies investigating the effects of external factors on audit ...pricing has grown rapidly in recent years. We extend the traditional framework used to classify audit fee research by adding a novel structure that focuses on political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental/ecological factors (a PESTLE analysis). We provide a systematic review of the literature on external factors and audit pricing, and we suggest opportunities for future research. Our review reveals that audit researchers focus on legal factors in terms of regulatory changes, and we find increased attention to political, economic, and social factors. However, despite increased public scrutiny, technological and environmental/ecological factors remain under-researched. Overall, our review demonstrates the importance of considering external factors to gain a more complete understanding of the audit pricing framework, especially in terms of global and regional variations.
JEL Classifications: M40; M42.
PDF
