Export venture flexibility : its antecedents and effects on performance

In spite of the normative appeal of flexibility, the concept has rarely been considered from a strategic marketing perspective. Without being market focused, flexibility will not result in superior value creation and a sustainable competitive advantage. In the light of the above shortcomings, this study examined a firm's flexibility with reference to specific export venture markets. Based upon the export channel marketing literature, this study identified additional previously unexplored antecedents of flexibility. The empirical evidences of 222 export venture cases showed reasonable support for the proposed model. In addition, this study brought clear evidence demonstrating the positive effect of flexibility on performance in the corresponding export venture markets.