Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T06:44:29.816Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Strategies in Exporting Firms: A Study of Australian Small to Medium Enterprises Exporting to Asia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2015

Peter J Dowling*
Affiliation:
School of Management, University of Tasmania
Peter W Liesch
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Management, The University of Queensland
Jaqueline A Flint
Affiliation:
Faculty of the Central Coast, University of Newcastle
Sharif N As-Saber
Affiliation:
School of Management, University of Tasmania
Kwong Chan
Affiliation:
School of Management, University of Tasmania
Peter A Innes
Affiliation:
School of Management, University of Tasmania
*
School of Management, University of Tasmania, Locked Bag 1-316, Launceston TAS 7250, Tel: +61 3 6324 3569, Fax: + 61 3 6324 3100, Email: peter.dowling@utas.edu.au

Abstract

The focus of the present paper is to examine the strategy use in Australian small and medium enterprises exporting to Asia. A selection of strategic issues is examined in order to identify their relative importance to a firm's exporting activities. No attempt is made to establish a causal linkage between strategy and export performance. Rather, the paper attempts to appraise the level of importance of various strategic factors that are often dealt with by an exporting firm. The study was conducted with an expectation of assisting future research endeavours into the relevance of strategies to export-performance. A set of impediments and the extent of their negativity on the exporting activities have also been considered, the understanding of which may help a firm in achieving appropriate strategic direction. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used in an attempt to capture the intricacies and challenges of using strategies in a cross-cultural environment.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2000

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the Australian Research Council that provided the funding for this study

References

REFERENCES

Aaby, N and Slater, S (1988) ‘Management Influences on Export Performance: A Review of the Empirical Literature 1978-88International Marketing Review Vol 6 No 4 pp 726Google Scholar
Aulakh, PS, Kotabe, M and Teegen, H (2000) ‘Export Strategies and Performance of Firms from Emerging Economies: Evidence from Brazil, Chile, and MexicoThe Academy of Management Journal Vol 43 No 3 pp 342361Google Scholar
AMC/McKinsey (1993) Emerging Exporters: Australia s High Value-Added Manufacturing Exporters Melbourne: Australian Manufacturing CouncilGoogle Scholar
Australian Bureau of Industry Economics (1990) Impediments to Manufacturing Exports: A Survey into the Obstacles to Exporting Manufacturing Goods Canberra: Australian Government Publishing ServiceGoogle Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2000) International Merchandise Trade 03 Quarter, Catalogue No 5422.0Google Scholar
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (1995) Australia through the Eyes of Asia Canberra: Australian Government Publishing ServiceGoogle Scholar
Australian Department of Industry, Technology and Commerce (1987) Exporting Canberra: Australian Government Publishing ServiceGoogle Scholar
Australian Department of Industry, Technology and Commerce (1992) Study into the Development of a Private Sector Export Service Network for Small and Medium Enterprises: Final Report Canberra: Australian Government Publishing ServiceGoogle Scholar
Australian Manufacturing Council (1989) What Part will Manufacturing Play in Australia's Future Melbourne: Australian Manufacturing CouncilGoogle Scholar
Barrett, NJ and Wilkinson, IF (1985) ‘Export Stimulation: A Segmentation Study of the Exporting Problems of Australian Manufacturing FirmsEuropean Journal of Marketing Vol 19 No 2 pp 5372CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beamish, PW, Karavis, L, Goerzen, A and Lane, C (1999) ‘The Relationship between Organizational Structure and Export PerformanceManagement International Review Vol 39 No 1 pp 137Google Scholar
Bodur, M (1994) ‘Foreign Market Indicators, Structural Resources and Marketing Strategies as Determinants of Export PerformanceAdvances in International Marketing Vol 6 pp 183205Google Scholar
Bonaccorsi, A (1992) ‘On the Relationship between Firm Size and Export IntensityJournal of International Business Studies Vol 23 No 4 pp 605635CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonaccorsi, A (1994) ‘What do We Know about Exporting by Small Italian Manufacturing Firms?Journal of International Marketing Vol 1 No 3 pp 4975CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cavusgil, ST (1993) ‘Preparing for export marketingInternational Trade Forum No 2 pp 1619Google Scholar
Cavusgil, ST and Naor, J (1987) ‘Firm and Management Characteristics as Discriminators of Export Marketing ActivityJournal of Business Research, Vol 15 pp 221235CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cavusgil, ST and Zou, S (1994) ‘Marketing Strategy-Performance Relationship: An Investigation of the Empirical Link in Export Market VenturesJournal of Marketing, Vol 58 pp 121CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cavusgil, ST, Zou, S and Naidu, GM (1993) ‘Product and Promotion Adaptation in Export Ventures: An Empirical InvestigationJournal of International Business Studies, Vol 24 No 3 pp 479507CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chatfield, C and Collins, AJ (1980) Introduction to Multivariate Analysis London: Chapman and Hall LtdCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, F and Price, P (1991) ‘Competitive Pricing Strategies for ExportersJournal of European Business Vol 2 No 5 pp 4648Google Scholar
Conlon, RM (1988) Export Performance of Manufacturing: An Exploratory Study of Australia, Republic of Korea, Singapore and Taiwan Kensington, NSW: Centre for Applied Economic Research, University of New South WalesGoogle Scholar
Coviello, NE and Martin, A-M (1999) ‘Internationalization of Service SMEs: An Integrated Perspective from the Engineering Consulting SectorJournal of International Marketing Vol 7 No 4 pp 4263CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crick, D, Jones, M and Hart, S (1994) ‘International marketing research activities of UK exporters: An exploratory studyJournal of Euromarketing Vol 3 No 2 pp 726CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dalli, D (1994) ‘The “Exporting” Process: The Evolution of Small and Medium Sized Firms Toward Internationalization’ in Axinn, CN (ed) (1994) Advances in International Marketing, Greenwich: JAI Press Vol 6 pp 85110Google Scholar
Daniels, JD and Radebaugh, LH (1998) International Business: Environment and Operations 8th ed Reading: Addison-WesleyGoogle Scholar
Denis, JE and Depelteau, D (1985) ‘Diversification and Export ExpansionJournal of International Business Studies Vol 16 No 3 pp 7789CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Denzin, NK and Lincoln, YS (1994) Handbook of Qualitative Research Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage PublicationsGoogle Scholar
de-Wilde, J and Simpson, D (1988) ‘Export Strategies for Innovative Canadian Firms: Finding Niches and Inventing Competitive AdvantageBusiness Quarterly, Vol 53 No 1 pp. 7276Google Scholar
Douglas, SP and Wind, Y (1987) ‘The myth of GlobalizationColumbia Journal of World Business Vol 22 pp 1929Google Scholar
East Asia Analytical Unit (1992) Australia and North-East Asia in the 1990s: Accelerating Change Canberra: Australian Government Publishing ServiceGoogle Scholar
Edwards, R (1996) ‘Australia and ASEAN: A Growing Relationship’ in Edwards, R and Skully, M (eds) ASEAN Business: Trade & Development Melbourne: Butterworth-Heinemann Australia pp 1730Google Scholar
Evangelista, FU (1994) ‘Export Performance and its DeterminantsAdvances in International Marketing Vol 6 pp 207229Google Scholar
Evangelista, FU (1996) ‘Linking business relationships to marketing strategy and export performance: A proposed conceptual frameworkAdvances in International Marketing Vol 8 pp 5983Google Scholar
Feaver, D, Morris, A and Cole, W (1998) ‘An Economic and Policy Analysis of Australian Export Concession SchemesAustralian Economic Review Vol 31 No 3 pp 298311CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fitch, D (1988) Successful Exporting: Choosing an Agent Canberra: Australian Trade Commission (AUSTRADE)Google Scholar
Fraser, C and Hite, RE (1990) ‘Impact of International Marketing Strategies on Performance in Diverse Global MarketsJournal of Business Research, Vol 20 pp 249262CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gibson, L (1995) ‘Export marketing to East AsiaManagement Auckland Vol 42 No 1 pp 4953Google Scholar
Hahti, A, Hall, G and Donckels, R (1998) The Internationalization of SMEs: The Interstratos Project London: RoutledgeCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hart, SJ, Webb, JR and Jones, MV (1994) ‘Export Marketing Research and the Effect of Export Experience in Industrial SMEsInternational Marketing Review Vol 11 No 6 pp 422CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoang, PB (1998) ‘A Causal Study of Relationships Between Firm Characteristics, International Marketing Strategies and Export PerformanceManagement International Review, Vol 38 (special issue) pp 7393Google Scholar
Hughes, H, Carden, J, Gitsham, A and Mansfield, B (1989) Australian Exports: Performance, Obstacles and Issues of Assistance Canberra: Australian Government Publishing ServiceGoogle Scholar
Johanson, JL and Arunthanes, W (1995) ‘Ideal and Actual Product Adaptation in U.S. Exporting Firms: Market-Related Determinants and Impact Upon PerformanceInternational Marketing Review Vol 12 No 3 pp 3146CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaynak, E and Kuan, WK (1993) ‘Environment, Strategy, Structure, and Performance in the Context of Export Activity: An Empirical Study of Taiwanese Manufacturing FirmsJournal of Business Research Vol 27 No 1 pp 3349CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koh, AC and Robicheaux, RA (1988) ‘Variations in Export Performance due to Differences in Export Marketing Strategy: Implications for Industrial MarketersJournal of Business Research, Vol 17 No 3 pp 249258CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kotabe, M and Omura, GS (1989) ‘Sourcing Strategies of European and Japanese Multinationals: a ComparisonJournal of International Business Studies Vol 20 pp 1329CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, DJ (1998) ‘Developing International Strategic Alliances Between Exporters and Importers: The Case of Australian ExportersInternational Journal of Research in Marketing Vol 15 No 4 pp 335348CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, DJ and Jang, JI (1998) ‘The role of Relational Exchange Between Exporters and Importers: Evidence from Small and Medium-Sized Australian ExportersJournal of Small Business Management Vol 36 No 4 pp 1223Google Scholar
Levitt, T (1983) ‘The Globalization of MarketsHarvard Business Review Vol 61 pp 92102Google Scholar
Macy, G, Barringer, B and Wortman, M (1993) ‘Relationships between Export Success, Export Strategies, and Export PlanningJournal of Business Strategies Vol 10 No 1 pp 116Google Scholar
Madsen, TK (1989) ‘Successful Export Marketing Management: Some Empirical EvidenceInternational Marketing Review Vol 6 No 4 pp 4157Google Scholar
Metwally, MM (1996) ‘Objectives of Australian Exporters in Setting Prices for International MarketsJournal of International Marketing and Marketing Research Vol 21 No 2 pp 105109Google Scholar
Miller, DC (1991) Handbook of Research Design and Social Measurement, 5th ed California: Sage PublicationsGoogle Scholar
Miller, V, Becker, T and Crespy, C (1993) ‘Contrasting Export Strategies: A Discriminant Analysis Study of Excellent ExportersThe International Trade Journal Vol 7 No 3 pp 321340CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Myers, MB and Cavusgil, ST (1996) ‘Export Pricing Strategy-Performance Relationship: A Conceptual FrameworkAdvances in International Marketing Vol 8 pp 159178Google Scholar
Naidu, GM and Prasad, VK (1994) ‘Predictors of Export Strategy and Performance of Small and Medium Sized FirmsJournal of Business Research, Vol 31 pp 107115CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Namiki, N (1989) ‘The Impact of Competitive Strategy on Export Sales Performance: An Exploratory StudyMid-Atlantic Journal of Business Vol 25 No 6 pp 2138Google Scholar
Norusis, MJ (1994), SPSS Professional Statistics 6.1 Chicago: SPSSGoogle Scholar
Piercy, NF, Katsikeas, CS and Cravens, DW (1997) ‘Examining the Role of Buyer-Seller Relationships in Export PerformanceJournal of World Business Vol 32 No 1 pp 7386CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Philp, NE (1998) ‘The Export Propensity of the Very Small Enterprise (VSE)International Small Business Journal Vol 16 No 4 pp 7994CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pike, RH and Ross, DG (1997) ‘Trade Credit Information for Export Sales: The Canadian ExperienceManagement International Review Vol 37 No 3 pp 243257Google Scholar
Roberts, A (1988) ‘Setting Export Prices to Sell CompetitivelyInternational Trade Forum Vol 24 No 3 pp 10–13, 3031Google Scholar
Shipley, DD, Neale, CW and Schmidt, R (1991) ‘The Role of Credit Strategy in Creating Competitive AdvantageJournal of General Management, Vol 16 No 3 pp 3951CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thach, SV and Axinn, CN (1991) ‘Pricing and Financing Practices of Industrial Exporting FirmsInternational Marketing Review, Vol 8 No 1 pp 3246CrossRefGoogle Scholar