The resource-based view (RBV) is one of the most widely accepted theories of strategic management. However, to date no systematic assessment of the RBV's level of empirical support has been conducted. In response, a sample of RBV-grounded empirical articles was analyzed from which it was found that the RBV has received only modest support overall and that this support varies considerably with the independent variable and theoretical approach employed. It is therefore suggested that scholars avoid the tendency to test models reflecting early incarnations of the RBV and instead test those that incorporate its more contemporary theoretical extensions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Empirical research on the resource-based view of the firm: an assessment and suggestions for future research

The resource-based view of the firm (RBV) hypothesizes that the exploitation of valuable, rare resources and capabilities contributes to a firm's competitive advantage, which in turn contributes to its performance. Despite this notion, few empirical studies test these hypotheses at the conceptual level. In response to this gap, this study empirically examines the relationships between value, rareness, competitive advantage, and performance. The results suggest that value and rareness are related to competitive advantage, that competitive advantage is related to performance, and that competitive advantage mediates the rareness-performance relationship. These findings have important academic and practitioner implications which are then discussed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Value, rareness, competitive advantage, and performance: a conceptual‐level empirical investigation of the resource‐based view of the firm

The impact of the marketing function on firm performance has been the focus of much recent research in marketing. Thus, the effect of marketing capability on firm performance, compared with that of other capabilities, such as research and development and operations, is an issue of importance to managers. To examine this issue and generate empirical generalizations, the authors conduct a meta-analysis of the firm capability–performance relationship using a mixed-effects model. The results show that, in general, marketing capability has a stronger impact on firm performance than research-and-development and operations capabilities. The results provide guidelines for managers and generate directions for further research.

The Relative Impact of Marketing, Research-and-Development, and Operations Capabilities on Firm Performance

Despite the strong interest in global marketing, there is no consensus in the literature about what constitutes global marketing strategy and whether it affects a firm’s global market performance. The authors develop a broad conceptualization of global marketing strategy, the GMS, that integrates three major perspectives—namely, the standardization, configuration–coordination, and integration perspectives—of global marketing strategy. They also develop a conceptual model that links the GMS to a firm’s global market performance. On the basis of a survey of business units competing in global industries, the authors find support for the broad GMS perspective and the fundamental relationship between the GMS and firms’ global market performance. The authors also discuss theoretical and managerial implications of their findings.

The GMS: A Broad Conceptualization of Global Marketing Strategy and Its Effect on Firm Performance

Considerable attention has been paid to the determinants of export performance. However, despite this research effort in identifying and examining the influence of such determinants, the literature is characterized by fragmentation and diversity, hindering theory development and practical advancement in the field. This paper attempts to review and synthesize the knowledge on the subject. As a result, this study reviews and evaluates 52 articles published between 1998 and 2005 to assess the determinants of export performance. The assessment reveals that: (a) more studies have been conducted outside the USA; (b) the majority of the studies focus on manufacturing firms, with relatively few studies examining the service sector; (c) the majority of the export studies continue to focus on small to medium-sized firms; (d) there is a continuous increase in the sample size; (e) despite the problems that may arise from the use of single informants, it seems that none of the studies reviewed here collected data from more than one informant in the firm; (f) an increasing number of studies have been using the export venture as the unit of analysis; (g) the level of statistical sophistication has improved; (h) the use of control and moderating variables in export performance studies has increased; (i) more studies have started to include the external environment in their models, including domestic market characteristics; and (j) market orientation as a key determinant of export performance emerges in this review. Finally, conclusions are drawn, along with some suggestions for further research.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm/ijmr_232.pdf?abstractid=1301205&mirid=5

The determinants of export performance: A review of the research in the literature between 1998 and 2005

The primary purpose of this article is to investigate the effect of export marketing capabilities on export performance. Drawing on the resource-based view, the authors develop a model that links an exporter’s product development capability, distribution capability, communication capability, and pricing capability with its positional advantages (low-cost advantage and branding advantage) and its performance in the export market. On the basis of a survey of Chinese export ventures, the authors find general support for their proposed model. The authors discuss the theoretical and managerial implications of their findings.

Shuming Zhao

Papers

The Effect of Export Marketing Capabilities on Export Performance: An Investigation of Chinese Exporters