Rubén Huertas-García, Jorge Lengler and Carolina Consolación-Segura
Companies are increasingly incorporating support for social causes in advertising to improve brand image and increase sales, but it is unclear how these behaviours influence…
Abstract
Purpose
Companies are increasingly incorporating support for social causes in advertising to improve brand image and increase sales, but it is unclear how these behaviours influence purchase intentions. This paper aims to analyse this relationship from a strategic perspective to assess whether the degree of fit of any of the five strategic dimensions that Zdravkovic et al. (2010) propose influence purchase intentions synergistically.
Design/methodology/approach
This study includes two stages: a qualitative stage to build brand–cause relationships and a quantitative study of one of these relationships to examine which fit dimensions are involved and whether they generate synergy in purchase intentions.
Findings
Results demonstrate that adjustment to two of the five dimensions is sufficient to influence emotional responses positively.
Research limitations/implications
This study presents limitations, as it has been developed using a particular sample of university students.
Practical implications
These analyses provide tools for managers to verify which types of strategic fit operate in this relationship and facilitate co-branding planning to achieve financial goals.
Originality/value
The analysis provides tools for managers to verify which types of strategic fit operate in this relationship and facilitate co-branding planning to achieve financial goals.
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Ricardo J.C. de Correia, Jorge Lengler and Asad Mohsin
The purpose of this study is to assess motivational factors in the internationalisation of Portuguese hotel firms.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to assess motivational factors in the internationalisation of Portuguese hotel firms.
Design/methodology/approach
The epistemological approach that supports the development of this study is based on a deductive strategy. A comprehensive multi-case study was performed in which theoretical propositions were tested prior to further development.
Findings
The results of this study reveal that the internationalisation process of Portuguese hotel companies was triggered by managers’ entrepreneurial attitudes and international vision that in themselves embraced a combination of particular resources and competencies.
Research limitations/implications
Noteworthy are study’s contributions to international entrepreneurship as an individual act within existing social networks established by managers and the management team as a result of previous business experiences. The impact of this overall entrepreneurial profile on firms’ behaviour is also of interest. Limitations of the study relate to its cross-sectional nature and the number of interviewees.
Originality/value
The integration of economic paradigms with behaviour theories and the resource-based view to understand how and why Portuguese hotel companies engage in international endeavours is a major contribution of this study.
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Chanjuan Gong, Xinming He and Jorge Lengler
This paper systematically reviews and scrutinises the current development of studies concerning digital platform use in firms’ internationalisation. It also provides a research…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper systematically reviews and scrutinises the current development of studies concerning digital platform use in firms’ internationalisation. It also provides a research agenda for future work. Despite more than two decades of research, the study of how traditional firms enter foreign markets using digital platforms remains in its infancy. This paper contributes insights into the academic and managerial relevance of this field.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic review of the literature based on content analysis was undertaken, drawing from peer-reviewed journal articles in international business, international marketing, information systems, and electronic commerce. The articles were published between 1999 and 2023, and the review employed a vote-counting method.
Findings
This analysis of 61 papers indicates that research on digital platform use in firms’ internationalisation is growing rapidly. However, the field itself is fragmented, and the research findings are inconsistent. This dynamic area reflects a growing trend, is dominated by several theories, relies primarily on survey data, and frequently uses China as a research context.
Originality/value
In acknowledging the vibrancy and managerial importance of this field, the authors offer a comprehensive overview of the existing studies to serve as a repository of knowledge on digital platform use in internationalisation for both academics and practitioners. Based on the aforementioned analysis, this study develops a reconciling framework to address current research gaps and identify future study directions.
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Denise R. Quatrin, Roberta Aguzzoli and Jorge Lengler
Companies target globally mobile workers and face the war for talent, while individuals are more reluctant to engage in global mobility. This scenario led us to propose a model to…
Abstract
Purpose
Companies target globally mobile workers and face the war for talent, while individuals are more reluctant to engage in global mobility. This scenario led us to propose a model to understand the individuals' decision process to engage in global mobility.
Design/methodology/approach
Building on the self-determination theory, the theory of planned behavior and the literature on decisions for global mobility, the authors propose mechanisms through which psychological variables and assignments' factual and perceived contextual aspects (directly or indirectly) explain the decision to engage or not in global mobility.
Findings
This study offers a conceptual model with the authors' novel propositions to explain individuals' decision to engage in global mobility.
Originality/value
The model provides a more comprehensive explanation of the individuals' decision-making process to engage in global mobility than previous models and potentially yields more effective organizational practices to attract both well-established and emerging phenomena of globally mobile workers.
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Carlos M.P. Sousa, Ji Yan, Emanuel Gomes and Jorge Lengler
The paper examines the impact of export activity on productivity and how this effect is moderated by R&D investment and foreign ownership.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper examines the impact of export activity on productivity and how this effect is moderated by R&D investment and foreign ownership.
Design/methodology/approach
A time-lag effect is taken into account when examining the proposed model. Data are collected from the Annual Industrial Survey of the National Bureau of Statistics of China. A dataset containing 117,340 firms across the sample period (2001–2007) are used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The results indicate that while R&D investment plays a significant role in strengthening the positive effect of export activity on a firm's productivity, foreign ownership surprisingly has a negative moderating role.
Originality/value
Scholarly interest in the links between export activity and productivity is on the rise. However, the bulk of research has been focused on understanding the effects of export activity on productivity at the country or industry level. Little has been done at the firm level. Another gap in the literature is that the mechanism through which the impact of export activity can be leveraged to enhance the firm's productivity has been largely ignored. To address these issues, the study adopts the learning-by-exporting theory to examine the relationship between export and productivity at the firm-level and how R&D investment and foreign ownership may explain how learning can be leveraged to enhance the firm's productivity. Finally, these relationships are examined in the context of firms from an emerging market, China, which is especially relevant for the learning-by-exporting argument used in this study.
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Carlos M.P. Sousa and Jorge Lengler
Although interfunctional coordination plays a key role in the performance of the firm, the literature has largely ignored it compared to the other two market orientation…
Abstract
Although interfunctional coordination plays a key role in the performance of the firm, the literature has largely ignored it compared to the other two market orientation components: customer orientation and competitor orientation. The question of whether our current knowledge can be generalized to firms from the developing world has also been neglected since most studies have been conducted in developed countries. To address these issues, a model was developed here to empirically examine the relationship between interfunctional coordination and export performance as well as to identify the key determinants of both constructs. A sample of 201 senior managers of export firms in Brazil was used to test the hypotheses. The results suggest that the legal regulations and technical requirements, competitive intensity, and technological orientation of the product are positively related to interfunctional coordination. Contrary to expectations, the results also confirm that the difference in the stage of the product life cycle is negatively related to interfunctional coordination. In turn, interfunctional coordination has a positive effect on firms' export performance.
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Jorge Francisco Lengler, Carlos M.P. Sousa and Catarina Marques
Despite some attempts to integrate the market orientation construct into the international marketing area, most conceptual and empirical studies have been conducted in the context…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite some attempts to integrate the market orientation construct into the international marketing area, most conceptual and empirical studies have been conducted in the context of domestic operations. In addition, few studies have examined the quadratic effects of customer and competitor orientation on export performance. To address this gap in the literature we test a model that examines whether customer and competitor orientation have linear or quadratic relationships with export performance. We also investigate if competitive intensity moderates the linear and quadratic relationships between customer and competitor orientation and export profit.
Design/methodology/approach
The hypotheses are tested using survey data collected from 197 Brazilian export firms. Structural equation modeling was conducted to test the hypothesized relationships and to validate the proposed conceptual model.
Findings
Empirical evidence reveals that, while customer orientation has a U‐shaped relationship with export sales, the competitor orientation–export profit relationship is linear. Our results also provide evidence that the positive quadratic relationship between customer orientation and export profit is mediated by export sales. Contrary to expectations, the results also indicate that none of the linear or quadratic relationships investigated in the model are moderated by competitive intensity.
Originality/value
We test a model in an export context that examines whether the relationships between the separate components of market orientation and export performance are linear or quadratic. We also contribute to the literature by examining these relationships in the context of a developing country, namely Brazil.
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Jorge F. B. Lengler, Carlos M. P. Sousa and Catarina Marques
Despite some attempts to integrate the market orientation construct into the international marketing area, most conceptual and empirical studies have been conducted in the context…
Abstract
Despite some attempts to integrate the market orientation construct into the international marketing area, most conceptual and empirical studies have been conducted in the context of domestic operations. To address this gap we examine whether competitive intensity moderates the relationships among the components of market orientation and export performance. Data was used from 197 Brazilian export companies. Results suggest that interfunctional coordination enhances customer and competitor orientation. Moreover, customer orientation has no direct effect on export performance, while competitor orientation has a positive effect on firm’s international performance. Findings also indicate that competitive intensity moderates all the relationships tested in the model.
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Maria João Bettencourt Gomes de Carvalho Simas, Jorge Francisco Bertinetti Lengler and Nelson José dos Santos António
This paper seeks to integrate sustainable development, based on the application of the extended bottom line (EBL-GMS®) concept, into the implementation of organizational strategy…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to integrate sustainable development, based on the application of the extended bottom line (EBL-GMS®) concept, into the implementation of organizational strategy with the relevant stakeholders. As a result, a theoretical model is proposed.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper reviews selected literature to propose and analyse how sustainable development can be integrated into the implementation of organizational strategy.
Findings
This paper proposes a conceptual model that deals with the relationship between sustainable development and implementation of organizational strategy with the distinct stakeholders of a company. In the proposed model, authors indicate how the concept of sustainable development could be operationalized through each of the organizational stakeholders.
Originality/value
Companies, as dynamic systems, are relevant in the implementation process of sustainable development, which requires this concept to be fairly applicable. In general, only one of the bottoms of the triple bottom line (TBL) has been considered, being essential to integrate and consolidate, through an ethical and balanced manner, the economic, social, environmental and corporate identity elements. This paper addresses a critical condition for companies operating in highly competitive contexts: sustainable development and its relationships with strategy implementation. The originality lies in the fact that no studies have analysed the relationship between the sustainable development concept and organizational strategy implementation, based on the operationalisation of the extended bottom line (EBL-GMS®) concept.