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Factors influential in directing Turkish manufacturers to exporting are discussed. The research shows that the majority of these companies started exports due to unexpected orders and entered this field as a result of domestic economic factors. For most of these companies, the domestic market preserves its significance. Therefore, a different marketing strategy is not implemented for exports. However, as size and export volume increase, a change in attitudes is observed, supporting the findings of previous empirical studies that involvement in export marketing is a sequential and gradual process.

Examines the export activities of a sample of companies which have won the Queen's Award to Industry for export achievement. Looks at those criteria employed in order to achieve export success. States that not all of the companies practised all of the criteria, with the majority using only two. Concludes that the historical background and tradition of an organization, together with the attitudes of its senior management, are the most significant factors in determining the level of its success.

This study develops a model that explains export sales volume by destination based on a company's export marketing strategy. A seemingly unrelated regression model (SURE) simultaneously estimates the explanatory value of the different elements of the marketing strategy, as well as company characteristics, such as experience, size and motivation to export, on entry decisions to six different regional markets made by exporting companies in a southern European country. The data were collected from a sample size of 2,264 exporting companies. Findings confirm the importance of exporting experience and proactiveness in determining high export sales volumes in every regional market except for those psychologically close. Nevertheless, different marketing strategies depending on the region lead to high export sales volumes. For example, low price strategies in the case of Latin America or differentiation strategies based on the augmented product in the case of the USA generate high export sales. Promotional expenditures are of higher importance for distant markets, but for closer markets channel development is the key.

Trade barriers between countries, especially cash‐strapped countries, are being revised and/or dropped as a means of promoting international trade. Even the U.S. is aggressively seeking trade with countries as a way to create jobs, boost our economy, and improve our trade balance Because of the importance of international trade, governmental agencies assist this process by “greasing the wheels of investment” through the provision of information, consultation, and exploration as they attempt to assist small‐ and medium‐size businesses gain international trade experience (Business Korea, June 1999). For the U.S., SMEs will be the engine of economic growth over the next few years (Field, 1997). SMEs can go it alone, using internet technology, or they can seek low‐cost assistance in learning the ropes relative to international trade.

Presents an initial inquiry into the role of competitive environmental scanning in the internationalization process. Explores specifically the relationship between dimensions of competitive environmental scanning and measures of export market involvement and success. Finds that the results provide strong support for the contention that scanning capabilities must be developed for firms to pursue strategies that will result in a higher degree of export involvement and export success.

This paper investigates the international market research activities of 96 successful small and medium‐sized exporters. The research focuses upon the types of information considered most important for decision making and the various sources that these enterprises use to obtain the information. The empirical work suggests successful firms put much greater emphasis on the information required for long‐term strategic planning rather than the day to day operations of the business. The vast majority of the firms used internal sources for this information. Strong statistical evidence is presented to suggest that the firms under investigation actively use the information they collect for decision making, rather than simply paying lip service to the concept of market research. This work makes an important contribution to the literature, because it represents one of very few empirical studies which provide support for the widely held belief that collection and subsequent use of market information is an important feature of successful exporters’ behaviour.

Inspired by the internationalisation paths to prosperity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), where narcissistic leaders are diligent about organisations but also pursue their dark goals, this study aims to concurrently examine two avenues for the internationalisation of narcissistic leaders in SMEs concerning the function of team organisational citizenship behaviours (OCB): corporate social irresponsibility (CSI) and digital business model innovation (BMI).

This study utilised a quantitative design emphasising mature theory research, and data was analysed using multiple regression analysis and Hayes' process model. The data for this study was collected via surveys from 270 SMEs in Vietnam.

The study showed that narcissistic Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) can penetrate the global market profoundly by utilising both the righteous path, which is based on the power of the times via BMI, and the unethical path, CSI. However, team devotion via OCB can mitigate the unethical conduct of narcissistic CEOs.

The study endeavoured to find a path to internationalisation for SMEs in emerging markets with high economic openness and increasingly close connections with international markets, via two strategies for SMEs to conquer the international market more successfully, and with utilising the foundations of CEO narcissism and team citizenship behaviour.

This study contributed to the theory of SME internationalisation by employing the resource-based view and upper-echelon theory, with the updated Uppsala model as its foundation.

This paper examines some of the striking similarities and differences in issues and conceptual structure between three seemingly disparate areas of study over a 50‐year period; distribution channels, internationalisation and networks. The paper questions why these and other areas of study seem to emerge, prosper and decline in a relatively brief period and shows how each seems to have been developed more or less in isolation from earlier ones. More importantly, it suggests that the researchers involved in each area often do not seem to have learned from what has gone before. The paper draws a number of conclusions from this pattern for the practice of research in marketing.

In contrast to the predictions from the family business and the small- and medium-sized enterprise internationalization literatures, Hidden Champions are world-market leaders exhibiting a high share of exports. The purpose of this study is to analyze their strategy of internationalization of Hidden Champions in Germany and find that the international success and strong, sustained performance emanates from their product type, enabling to successfully pursue a niche strategy for differentiated premium products.

The authors first conceptually explore how Hidden Champions pursue strategic internationalization, and then analyze a sample of N = 2,690 Hidden Champions to examine why Germany has been able to generate the highest per capita share of Hidden Champions in the world.

The study finds that on both a micro and macro level, the strong and sustained performance of Hidden Champions is driven by product type and quality strategies. Niche strategies for a knowledge-intensive, technological product enable the firm to lock-in customers. However, to safeguard the internalization of highly specific quasi-rents, Hidden Champions enter foreign markets through fully owned subsidiaries, retaining control and residual property rights. The second finding of this paper is that Germany has succeeded in deploying its high level of human capital into the Mittelstand through highly skilled workers.

Unfortunately, no micro-level panel data are available. Still macro-level data beginning in the nineteenth century provide strong empirical support for the hypothesized causality.

This is the first paper to link the strong and sustained export performance of Germany to the Hidden Champions by examining the origins of the German Mittelstand model, dating back to the social, political and economic developments of nineteenth century.

Nobody concerned with political economy can neglect the history of economic doctrines. Structural changes in the economy and society influence economic thinking and, conversely, innovative thought structures and attitudes have almost always forced economic institutions and modes of behaviour to adjust. We learn from the history of economic doctrines how a particular theory emerged and whether, and in which environment, it could take root. We can see how a school evolves out of a common methodological perception and similar techniques of analysis, and how it has to establish itself. The interaction between unresolved problems on the one hand, and the search for better solutions or explanations on the other, leads to a change in paradigma and to the formation of new lines of reasoning. As long as the real world is subject to progress and change scientific search for explanation must out of necessity continue.