Editorial

Citation

Cadogan, J. (2009), "Editorial", International Marketing Review, Vol. 26 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/imr.2009.03626baa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: International Marketing Review, Volume 26, Issue 2

The five papers featured in this International Marketing Review (IMR) issue cover diverse topics. The first, by Camison and Villar (2009), sets out to identify and empirically examine drivers of cooperative international business activity. In this respect, the authors develop hypotheses that show how various businesses capabilities, including marketing capabilities, directly and indirectly shape the extent to which firms have a propensity to engage in cooperative international arrangements (e.g. with customers, suppliers, and competitors). The authors demonstrate that firms that have capabilities that support international activity are, overall, also more likely to have a propensity to engage in cooperative international activities. Interestingly, they demonstrate that this effect is indirect, operating through the adoption of differentiation strategies: firms with capabilities for internationalization are often better positioned to adopt differentiation strategies – however, differentiation strategies often require (or are more successful or less risky under) cooperative international arrangements. Camison and Villar’s (2009) paper complements recent work in IMR dealing with marketing capabilties and international business outcomes (Blesa and Ripollés, 2008).

In the next paper, following a tradition of IMR papers on international subsidiary performance (Chiao et al., 2008; Diamantopoulos and Schlegelmilch, 1987; Novicevic and Harvey, 2004), Pehrsson (2009) examines the marketing strategies of subsidiaries in foreign markets. Pehrsson’s (2009) thesis is that subsidiary marketing strategy shapes the financial performance of the subsidiary via the extent to which subsidiaries undertake value-adding activity. Using data from 191 subsidiaries of 136 Swedish firms operating in Germany, the UK, and/or the USA, Pehrsson (2009) shows that marketing strategy (i.e. the subsidiaries’ breadth of product range and customer types) is positively associated with value-adding activity – and that subsidiary market experience moderates this relationship. Value-adding activity is also shown to be positively associated with financial performance (return on sales) of the subsidiary.

The issue of standardization/adaptation is fairly frequently addressed in IMR (Nelson and Paek, 2007; Powers and Loyka, 2007; Viswanathan and Dickson, 2007). However, Jorda-Albiñana et al.’s (2009) approach is quite unique. The authors examine an issue that has great practical relevance, but that has been mostly overlooked by academics. Specifically, Jorda-Albiñana et al. (2009) examine how brand identity documentation varies across cultures and the rules used to implement identity standards documents. To do this, Jorda-Albiñana et al. (2009) analyze 341 identity standards manuals from across the world. The authors show that there are differences across high- and low-context cultures in terms of identity standards manuals contents, normative tone, and in the development of the manual. Jorda-Albiñana et al. (2009) conclude that debates surrounding the issue of the standardization/adaptation of a firms’ visual identity should not be limited to verbal and graphic signs (i.e. the firm’s name, logo, or their color) but should extend to the rules laid down for their utilization and the documents used to communicate these rules (i.e. identity standards manual).

Ha et al. (2009) focus on the issue of how customers’ perceptions of certain aspects of firms’ performance (i.e. in terms of firms’ customer orientation and service quality) shape customers’ intentions to remain loyal to a brand. In this context, the authors look at the role that customer satisfaction may play in shaping brand loyalty, either as a mediator (of the customer orientation → brand loyalty relationship, and/or of the service quality → brand loyalty relationship), or as a direct antecedent to loyalty. The authors construct and test six competing models across two national contexts, identify the best performing model, and show that this model is relatively invariant across the national contexts examined.

Finally, Bianchi (2009) examines the important topic of retail internationalization. Bianchi (2009) notes that most research in this areas focuses on the internationalization of retailers from developed markets, and that little is known about the success factors underpinning the internationalization of retailers based in emerging economies. Using a case-study approach to investigate this research gap, Bianchi (2009) identifies a series of critical resources and capabilities that are needed to assist retailers in emerging markets to internationalize. These include partnerships at the local and regional level, organizational learning capabilities, an innovation orientation, a willingness to adapt to the local market needs, and an experienced management team.

Best paper 2008

We are also pleased to announce IMR’s best paper award for 2008. The best paper is chosen by the IMR editors, in consultation with the Editorial Board. This year, we award one best paper award, and two highly commended papers:

1. 1.

   Best paper:

   • •

     Seggie, S.H. and Griffith, D.A. (2008), “The resource matching foundations of competitive advantage: an alternative perspective on the globalization of service firms”, International Marketing Review, Vol. 25 No. 3, pp. 262-75.

2. 2.

   Highly commended papers:

   • •

     Harvey, M.G., Kiessling, T.S. and Richey, R.G. (2008), “Global social time perspectives in marketing: a strategic reference point theory application”, International Marketing Review, Vol. 25 No. 3, pp. 146-65.

   • •

     Magnusson, P., Wilson, R.T., Zdravkovic, S., Zhou, J.X. and Westjohn, S.A. (2008), “Breaking through the cultural clutter: a comparative assessment of multiple cultural and institutional frameworks”, International Marketing Review, Vol. 25 No. 3, pp. 183-201.

Congratulations all!

John Cadogan