Abstract
Firms in transition economies face a common adaptation problem of having to compete within increasingly marketized environments. This creates a need for managers to learn skills associated with marketing, such as those pertaining to the development of new and better products. Although distance is usually a barrier to learning, we propose that in exchange situations involving transition economy firms, the benefits of long-distance trade may outweigh the costs of knowledge acquisition. We find support for this proposition in this study by establishing a link between the export intensity of Chinese exporters and their acquisition of marketing know-how. We also find evidence that the marketing knowledge of transition economy firms has a positive effect on overall performance.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 593-602 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Industrial Marketing Management |
Volume | 40 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 May 2011 |
Bibliographical note
The data collection activities described in this study were made possible through the assistance provided by Wong Pei Wai in Hong Kong and Vicky Pan, Wing Lian and Fiona Yin in the Pearl River Delta. The authors are also grateful to Tian Hanson and March To for their help in translating questionnaire items.Funding
This project was supported by an Internal Competitive Research Grant of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (A-PF45).
Keywords
- China
- Export intensity
- international marketing
- transition economies