Abstracts
Abstract
The literature on internationalization focuses on multinational companies, to the detriment of African companies. It is unclear how firms’ resources interact with environmental conditions in terms of marketing adaptation and export performance. Drawing on the resource-based view and the institutional perspective, this study uses survey data from 308 companies in Nigeria and Ghana. The results reveal that networking capacity, and the availability of financial resources positively influence marketing fit, which mediates the relationship between company resources and export performance. These effects depend on institutional conditions, with significant implications for the internationalization of African companies.
Keywords:
- networking capability,
- financial resource availability,
- marketing adaptation,
- firm export performance,
- institutional conditions
Résumé
La littérature sur l'internationalisation se concentre sur les entreprises multinationales, au détriment des entreprises africaines. La manière dont les ressources des entreprises interagissent avec les conditions environnementale en termes d'adaptation du marketing et de performances à l'exportation manque de clarté. S'inspirant de la vision fondée sur les ressources et de la perspective institutionnelle, cette étude utilise des données d'enquête de 308 entreprises du Nigéria et du Ghana. Les résultats révèlent que la capacité de mise en réseau et la disponibilité des ressources financières influencent positivement l'adaptation du marketing, qui sert de médiateur à la relation entre les ressources de l'entreprise et les performances à l'exportation. Ces effets dépendent des conditions institutionnelles, avec des implications significatives pour l'internationalisation des entreprises africaines.
Mots-clés :
- capacité de mise en réseau,
- disponibilité des ressources financières,
- adaptation du marketing,
- performances à l'exportation des entreprises,
- conditions institutionnelles
Resumen
La literatura sobre la internacionalización se centra en las empresas multinacionales, en detrimento de las empresas africanas. No está claro cómo interactúan los recursos de las empresas con las condiciones del entorno en términos de adaptación marketing y resultados de exportación. Basándose en la visión basada en los recursos y en la perspectiva institucional, este estudio utiliza datos de encuestas realizadas a 308 empresas de Nigeria y Ghana. Los resultados revelan que la capacidad para establecer redes y la disponibilidad de recursos financieros influyen positivamente la adaptación marketing, que media la relación entre los recursos de la empresa y los resultados de exportación. Estos efectos dependen de las condiciones institucionales, con importantes implicaciones para la internacionalización de las empresas africanas.
Palabras clave:
- capacidad de creación de redes,
- disponibilidad de recursos financieros,
- adaptación al marketing,
- resultados de exportación de las empresas,
- condiciones institucionales
Appendices
Bibliography
- Achumba, I. C., Ighomereho, O. S., & Akpor-Robaro, M. O. M. (2013). Security challenges in Nigeria and the implications for business activities and sustainable development. Journal of economics and sustainable development, 4(2).
- Ajayi, B. (2016). The impact of entrepreneurial orientation and networking capabilities on the export performance of Nigerian agricultural SMEs. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies, 2(1), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1177/2393957515619720
- Asseraf, Y., Lages, L. F., & Shoham, A. (2019). Assessing the drivers and impact of international marketing agility. International Marketing Review, 36(2), 289-315. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMR-12-2017-0267
- Asongu, S.A., & Odhiambo, N.M. (2019). Challenges of doing business in Africa: A systematic review. Journal of African Business, 20(2), 259-268. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228916.2019.1582294
- Assadinia, S., Kadile, V., Gölgeci, I., & Boso, N. (2019). The effects of learning orientation and marketing programme planning on export performance: Paradoxical moderating role of psychic distance. International Small Business Journal, 37(5), 423-449. https://doi.org/10.1177/0266242619831914
- Ayob, A.H., Ramlee, S., & Abdul Rahman, A. (2015). Financial factors and export behavior of small and medium-sized enterprises in an emerging economy. Journal of International Entrepreneurship, 13(1), 49-66. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10843-014-0141-5
- Bah, T., Catanzaro, A., & Ndione, L. (2020). L’internationalisation (régionale) des entreprises sénégalaises: déterminants et modalités?. Management international/International Management/Gestiòn Internacional, 24(3), 78-91. https://doi.org/10.7202/1072624ar
- Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of management, 17(1), 99-120. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639101700108
- Bagozzi, R.P., Yi, Y., & Phillips, L.W. (1991). Assessing construct validity in organizational research. Administrative science quarterly, 36(3) 421-458. https://doi.org/10.2307/2393203
- Bodlaj, M., & Čater, B. (2022). Responsive and proactive market orientation in relation to SMEs’ export venture performance: The mediating role of marketing capabilities. Journal of Business Research, 138, 256-265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.09.034
- Bonett, D.G. (1980). Significance tests and goodness of fit in the analysis of covariance structures. Psychological bulletin, 88(3), 588-606. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.88.3.588
- Brache, J., Callagher, L., & Husted, K. (2022). The effects of interfirm cooperation purpose on export performance: Choosing between local and overseas partners. Journal of Business Research, 148, 12-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.04.035
- Boso, N., Adeleye, I., Ibeh, K., & Chizema, A. (2019). The internationalization of African firms: Opportunities, challenges, and risks. Thunderbird International Business Review, 61(1), 5-12. https://doi.org/10.1002/tie.21977
- Cadogan, J. W., Kuivalainen, O., & Sundqvist, S. (2009). Export market-oriented behavior and export performance: quadratic and moderating effects under differing degrees of market dynamism and internationalization. Journal of International Marketing, 17(4), 71-89. https://doi.org/10.1509/jimk.17.4.71
- Cheung, G.W., & Rensvold, R. B. (2002). Evaluating goodness-of-fit indexes for testing measurement invariance. Structural equation modeling, 9(2), 233-255. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15328007SEM0902_5
- Chen, J., Sousa, C.M., & He, X. (2016). The determinants of export performance: a review of the literature 2006-2014. International Marketing Review. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMR-10-2015-0212
- Dassouli, S., Bodolica, V., Satt, H., & M’hamdi, M. (2022). Adaptation strategy, international experience and export performance of Moroccan handicraft firms: the mediating role of partnerships. International Journal of Emerging Markets, (ahead-of-print). https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOEM-01-2021-0127
- DESA (2008). International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities, Revision 4. https://unstats.un.org/unsd/publication/seriesm/seriesm_4rev4e.pdf. Accessed December 5th, 2021.
- Elia, S., Giuffrida, M., Mariani, M.M., & Bresciani, S. (2021). Resources and digital export: An RBV perspective on the role of digital technologies and capabilities in cross-border e-commerce. Journal of Business Research, 132, 158-169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.010
- Esen, Ş., & Bozkurt, O. (2013). The impact of ‘distribution capability, business knowledge, service differentiation and experience’ firm behaviors on export performance. African Journal of Business Management, 35(7), 3394-3402. Doi/10.5897/AJBM11.1433
- Fasanya, D. O., Ingham, H., & Read, R. (2022). Determinants of internationalization by firms from Sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Business Research, 144, 951-965. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.01.098
- Filipe Lages, L., Luís Abrantes, J., & Raquel Lages, C. (2008). The STRATADAPT scale: A measure of marketing strategy adaptation to international business markets. International Marketing Review, 25(5), 584-600. https://doi.org/10.1108/02651330810904107
- Filipe Lages, L., & Montgomery, D. B. (2004). Export performance as an antecedent of export commitment and marketing strategy adaptation: Evidence from small and medium-sized exporters. European journal of marketing, 38(9/10), 1186-1214. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090560410548933
- Fitzpatrick, J., Gareau, A., Lafontaine, M. F., & Gaudreau, P. (2016). How to use the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) to estimate different dyadic patterns in Mplus: A step-by-step tutorial. The Quantitative Methods for Psychology, 12(1), 74-86. https://www.tqmp.org/RegularArticles/vol12-1/p074/p074.pdf
- Fornell, C., & Larcker, D.F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of marketing research, 18(1), 39-50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
- Gnizy, I. (2019). The role of inter-firm dispersion of international marketing capabilities in marketing strategy and business outcomes. Journal of Business Research, 105, 214-226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.08.015
- Gnizy, I., Baker, W.E., & Grinstein, A. (2014). Proactive learning culture: A dynamic capability and key success factor for SMEs entering foreign markets. International Marketing Review. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMR-10-2013-0246
- Guo, H., Xu, H., Tang, C., Liu-Thompkins, Y., Guo, Z., & Dong, B. (2018). Comparing the impact of different marketing capabilities: Empirical evidence from B2B firms in China. Journal of Business Research, 93, 79–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.04.010
- Gupta, P., & Chauhan, S. (2021). Firm capabilities and export performance of small firms: A meta-analytical review. European Management Journal, 39(5), 558-576. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2020.12.003
- Haddoud, M.Y., Onjewu, A.K.E., Nowiński, W., & Jones, P. (2021). The determinants of SMEs’ export entry: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Business Research, 125, 262-278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.12.017
- Hair Jr, J. F., Black, W.C., Babin, B.J., & Anderson, R.E. (2019). Multivariate Data Analysis. (8th ed.). CENGAGE.
- Håkansson, H., & Snehota, I. (1995). Developing Relationships in Business Networks. London: Routledge.
- Ibeh, K., Wilson, J., & Chizema, A. (2012). The internationalization of African firms 1995–2011: Review and implications. Thunderbird International Business Review, 54(4), 411-427. https://doi.org/10.1002/tie.21473
- Ifeoma, O. R., Purity, N. O., & Anagbogu, T. (2015). Security challenges and the implications for business activities in Nigeria: A critical review. Journal of Policy and Development Studies, 9(2), 157-168.
- Khan, H. (2020). Is marketing agility important for emerging market firms in advanced markets? International Business Review, 29(5), 101733. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2020.101733
- Karami, M., & Tang, J. (2019). Entrepreneurial orientation and SME international performance: The mediating role of networking capability and experiential learning. International Small Business Journal, 37(2), 105-124. https://doi.org/10.1177/0266242618807275
- Lages, L.F., Silva, G., & Styles, C. (2009). Relationship capabilities, quality, and innovation as determinants of export performance. Journal of International Marketing, 17(4), 47-70. https://doi.org/10.1509/jimk.17.4.47
- Lindell, M.K., & Whitney, D.J. (2001). Accounting for common method variance in cross-sectional research designs. Journal of applied psychology, 86(1), 114. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.1.114
- Leonidou, L. C. (2004). An analysis of the barriers hindering small business export development. Journal of small business management, 42(3), 279-302. 10.1111/j.1540-627X.2004.00112.x
- Leonidou, L.C., Katsikeas, C.S., & Coudounaris, D. N. (2010). Five decades of business research into exporting: A bibliographic analysis. Journal of International Management, 16(1), 78-91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intman.2009.06.001
- Leonidou, L. C., Katsikeas, C. S., & Samiee, S. (2002). Marketing strategy determinants of export performance: a meta-analysis. Journal of Business Research, 55(1), 51-67. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0148-2963(00)00133-8
- Liedong, T.A., & Rajwani, T. (2022). Managerial ties and access to finance in weak institutional contexts: Does CEO duality matter? Africa Journal of Management, 8(2), 143-170. https://doi.org/10.1080/23322373.2021.1944714
- Liu, H., Jiang, X., Zhang, J., & Zhao, X. (2013). Strategic flexibility and international venturing by emerging market firms: The moderating effects of institutional and relational factors. Journal of International Marketing, 21(2), 79-98. https://doi.org/10.1509/jim.12.0047
- Luo, X., Hsu, M. K., & Liu, S. S. (2008). The moderating role of institutional networking in the customer orientation–trust/commitment–performance causal chain in China. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 36(2), 202-214. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-007-0047-z
- Mandler, T., Sezen, B., Chen, J., & Özsomer, A. (2021). Performance consequences of marketing standardization/adaptation: A systematic literature review and future research agenda. Journal of Business Research, 125, 416-435. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.12.023
- Malhotra, N.K., Kim, S.S., & Patil, A. (2006). Common method variance in IS research: A comparison of alternative approaches and a reanalysis of past research. Management science, 52(12), 1865‑1883. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1060.0597
- Martin, N. (2022). Africa still too reliant on commodities exports, UN says. https://p.dw.com/p/4E62e. Accessed July 20th, 2022.
- Memon, A., Yong An, Z., & Memon, M. Q. (2020). Does financial availability sustain financial, innovative, and environmental performance? Relation via opportunity recognition. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 27(2), 562-575. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1820
- Navarro, A., Losada, F., Ruzo, E., & Díez, J. A. (2010). Implications of perceived competitive advantages, adaptation of marketing tactics and export commitment on export performance. Journal of world business, 45(1), 49-58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2009.04.004
- Ngantchou, A., & Biwolé Fouda, J. (2021). La recherche sur le management en Afrique: état des lieux et perspectives. Management international/International Management/Gestiòn Internacional, 25(5), 171-187. https://doi.org/10.7202/1085044ar
- Ngobo, P. V., & Fouda, M. (2012). Is ‘Good’governance good for business? A cross-national analysis of firms in African countries. Journal of World Business, 47(3), 435-449. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2011.05.010
- Okpara, J. O. (2009). Strategic choices, export orientation and export performance of SMEs in Nigeria. Management Decision, 47(8), 1281-1299. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251740910984541
- Oliver, C. (1991). Strategic responses to institutional processes. Academy of management review, 16(1), 145-179. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1991.4279002
- Oluwatobi, A. A., Daniel, G. A., & Akande, J. O. (2022). On export and economic growth: A comparative analysis of selected West African countries. International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, 12(4), 106-113. 10.32479/ijefi.9043
- Pham, T. S. H., Le Monkhouse, L., & Barnes, B. R. (2017). The influence of relational capability and marketing capabilities on the export performance of emerging market firms. International Marketing Review. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMR-07-2014-0235
- Preacher, K. J., & Leonardelli, G.J. (2001). Calculation for the Sobel test. Retrieved from http://quantpsy.org/sobel/sobel.htm. Accessed December 5, 2021.
- Reimann, C. K., Carvalho, F. M. P. D. O., & Duarte, M. P. (2022). Adaptive marketing capabilities, market orientation, and international performance: the moderation effect of competitive intensity. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 37(12), 2533-2543. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-08-2021-0391
- Roxas, B., Chadee, D., & Erwee, R. (2012). Effects of rule of law on firm performance in South Africa. European Business Review, 24(5), 478-492. https://doi.org/10.1108/09555341211254544
- Schmid, S., & Kotulla, T. (2011). 50 years of research on international standardization and adaptation—From a systematic literature analysis to a theoretical framework. International Business Review, 20(5), 491-507. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2010.09.003
- Sobel, M.E. (1982). Asymptotic confidence intervals for indirect effects in structural equation models. Sociological methodology, 13, 290-312. https://doi.org/10.2307/270723
- Sousa, C. M., & Bradley, F. (2008). Antecedents of international pricing adaptation and export performance. Journal of world business, 43(3), 307-320. https://doi.org/10.1177/0266242609344253
- Spithoven, A., & Knockaert, M. (2011). The role of business centres in firms’ networking capabilities and performance. Science and Public Policy, 38(7), 569-580. https://doi.org/10.3152/030234211X13070021633125
- Sraha, G., Sharma, R. R., Crick, D., & Crick, J. M. (2020). International experience, commitment, distribution adaptation and performance: a study of Ghanaian firms in B2B export markets. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 35(11), 1715-1738. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-05-2019-0197
- Theodosiou, M., & Leonidou, L. C. (2003). Standardization versus adaptation of international marketing strategy: an integrative assessment of the empirical research. International business review, 12(2), 141-171. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0969-5931(02)00094-X
- The World Bank (2022a). Exports of goods and services - Sub-Saharan Africa. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.EXP.GNFS.ZS?locations=ZG. Accessed June 26th, 2022
- The World Bank (2022b). Exports of goods and services - Sub-Saharan Africa. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.EXP.GNFS.KD.ZG?locations=ZG&most_recent_value_desc=true. Accessed June 26th, 2022
- The World Bank (2022c). Cost to export. https://tcdata360.worldbank.org/indicators/h40d0dd6b?country=GHA&indicator=40789&countries=NGA&viz=line_chart&years=2014,2019. Accessed June 15th, 2022
- The World Bank (2022d). WEF Safety and security pillar. https://tcdata360.worldbank.org/indicators/tour.safety?country=NGA&indicator=3536&countries=GHA&viz=line_chart&years=2015,2019. Accessed June 15th, 2022
- United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Economic development in Africa report 2022. United Nations Publications.
- Welsh, D.H., Kaciak, E., & Shamah, R. (2018). Determinants of women entrepreneurs’ firm performance in a hostile environment. Journal of Business Research, 88, 481-491. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.12.015
- Wiklund, J., & Shepherd, D. (2005). Entrepreneurial orientation and small business performance: a configurational approach. Journal of business venturing, 20(1), 71-91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2004.01.001
- Zou, S., Fang, E., & Zhao, S. (2003). The effect of export marketing capabilities on export performance: an investigation of Chinese exporters. Journal of International Marketing, 11(4), 32-55. https://doi.org/10.1509/jimk.11.4.32.20145