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Defines the milieu in which marketing actions are shaped and implemented, selectively surveys the knowledge base that underlies such actions, and suggests unique research opportunities to enhance both knowledge and action. Macroeconomic conditions materially influence managerial decisions regarding entry, maintenance and expansion strategies at regional, national and international levels. Such conditions include interest rates, trade deficits, savings and unemployment rates, foreign debt ratios, consumer and industrial spending ratios, and public sector expenditure ratios for economic, social and military endeavours. Successful competitive strategies during the 1990s will necessarily emphasize the development of approaches to “pro‐position” and/or “reposition” marketing strategies with regard to shifting macroeconomic conditions. Current theory and strategies are inadequate to the tasks of confronting these shifts or identifying their presence in a timely fashion. Rapid transformations of many national macroeconomic systems have compounded these challenges, placing insatiable demands upon an enterprise′s information resources necessary to support “appropriate” marketing actions. Outside the enterprise, strategic alliances with multinational customers or even competitors may be the most creative approach to managing changing macro‐economic environments.

Barter and countertrade will be significant trade tools throughout the 1980s. Presently confronted by saturated established markets and debt‐burdened new markets, firms of all sizes in all industry sectors must evaluate these trading approaches. This paper describes the forms of barter and countertrade, products typically traded, markets served, and objectives advanced by each form. The intent is to explore opportunities and problems accompanying each form, so that managers can assess the utilities of these transactions to their firms' international marketing strategies.

Suggests that the strategic advantages of experience, scale economies, product differentiation, capital requirements, and location are important determinants of international franchise expansion, but are slowly being diminished by technological and capital market innovations. Explores this theme from the perspectives of competitive strategy and economic theory of the firm. Based on these perspectives, hypotheses are developed and tested with a large sample of US franchisors at two points in time. Results show that franchise firms′ strategic advantages derived from experience, scale economies and location differ for more international firms compared to nationally‐focused firms. Results also provide insights to the extent to which these differences are moderated by technological and capital market innovations occurring over time.

The agricultural sector is a critical component of the world's economy and society. Its long‐term health depends heavily upon international transfers driven by comparative advantages. This article's basic theorem is that effective export programmes must be simultaneously founded on grass‐roots political support, economic comparative advantage, and domestic vertical development. The mechanics for establishing broad‐based political support are addressed first, followed by criteria for targeting to international markets with the most favourable demand and government incentives. Finally, the evolutionary aspects of comparative advantage are discussed in the context of long‐term economic and political support from producers, processors and related technology suppliers involved in targeted export strategies.