סמינר בשיווק

Yoel Asseraf , Ruppin Academic Center

This research investigates two well-known inside-outside debates prominent in the strategic management and international marketing literatures, and the connection between them. The first is the debate between two strategic approaches, namely the “market-oriented” (outside-in) and “resource-based view” (inside-out) schools of thought. While outside-in oriented firms are customer- and competition-centric, inside-out oriented firms are focused on developing breakthrough technology that will change the marketplace. The second is the longstanding debate between adaptation and standardization in international marketing strategy. While adaptation and standardization are the key determining factors affecting international marketing strategy, even after many years there is no consensus about how the degree to which firms take an adaptation approach to the four components of the international marketing mix affects international performance. The conceptual framework developed for this research aims to systematically “connect the dots” between four important constructs – namely strategic orientations, dynamic capabilities, architectural capabilities, and international marketing strategy – whose relationships are often somewhat blurred.

At the core there are three research questions:

1.      Are the outside-in and inside-out strategic approaches mutually exclusive, or are they simply two sides of the same coin?

2.      What are the unique patterns through which these opposing strategic approaches affect a firm’s international performance?

3.      Can a firm’s international marketing strategies (in terms of standardization/adaptation) be anticipated based on the chosen strategic approach?

This research is based on quantitative data using mostly multi-dimensional measures. The primary data were collected from a multiple-industry survey of senior managers in Israeli export firms. All analyses were made by structural equation modeling (SEM; AMOS) and multivariate regression (SPSS). Overall, the results of the research show that the two paths to strategy differentially influence the performance of firms in international markets.