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The impact of host–home country similarity on firm performance has long been debated in the international marketing literature with inconclusive, if not contradictory, findings. Taking a contingency perspective, this study proposes that a small or medium-sized enterprise's (SME's) global market performance depends on the strategic fit between its exploration and exploitation strategies and its host country choice. The results of a survey of chief executive officers and senior international marketing managers of SMEs in the United States show that the impact of host–home country similarity on SMEs’ international performance is moderated by their choice of exploration and exploitation strategies. Specifically, host–home country similarity has a positive impact on an SME's international performance when the firm adopts an exploitation strategy. Conversely, host–home country similarity has a negative impact on an SME's international performance when it adopts an exploration strategy. Directly addressing the long-standing host–home country similarity debate in the international marketing literature, this study sheds additional light on the drivers for SMEs’ internationalization success.

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Purpose The purpose of this study is to add insights into the business-to-business (B2B) branding literature by investigating the mechanism by which brand orientation affects relational performance in the B2B context. Design/methodology/approach A theory-based model is developed and tested using data collected from 201 Chinese B2B companies. Partial least squares analysis is used to test the hypotheses. Findings The results suggest that relationship commitment serves as an important means that translates a firm’s brand orientation into superior relational performance. Moreover, this positive effect is more prominent when the supplier is co-branding with its buyer. In addition, state-owned buyers are more inclined to develop affective commitment than calculative commitment when their suppliers are brand-oriented. Research limitations/implications This study examines the research questions from only the buyer side. In addition, the causal interface of the results might be limited due to the cross-sectional nature of the data. Practical implications While brand orientation generally leads to enhanced relational performance, it depends on the buyer’s involvement in co-branding and its ownership structure. Originality/value This study is among the first to uncover the underlying mechanism by which brand orientation adds value to B2B relationships. The findings provide compelling insights for managers who are interested in promoting a brand orientation to improve relational performance within their organizations.

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Purpose This study aims to fill three theoretical gaps in previous literature on exploration and exploitation: the relationship between exploration and exploitation is inconclusive; the influences of exploration and exploitation on firm performance are not consistent; and no empirical studies have integrated the antecedents of exploration and exploitation from the different research fields. Design/methodology/approach The study conducted a meta-analysis to quantitatively synthesize 143 studies with 257 independent samples to understand the relationship between exploration and exploitation and their consequences and antecedents. Findings The results show that exploration and exploitation are positively correlated with each other, and both of them can boost firm performance. Moreover, firm capabilities, firm size, firm age, competitive intensity, market orientation and entrepreneurial orientation positively influence exploration, and firm resources, firm capabilities, firm size, firm age, market orientation and entrepreneurial orientation positively influence exploitation. Competitive intensity negatively influences exploitation. Surprisingly, market turbulence does not significantly influence exploration or exploitation. Originality/value The results not only contribute to the theories by reconciling the inconsistent results but also provide insight for firms with guidance about under what conditions they should use what strategies.

Instead of focusing on attacking the manufacture and supply of counterfeits, we argue that anti-counterfeiting efforts should aim to reduce consumers' demand for counterfeit luxury products. To achieve this goal, a necessary first step is to understand what personal factors motivate counterfeit luxury consumption. In the current study, we examine how consumers use counterfeit luxury products as a means to achieve a positive self-perception and the underlying justification mechanisms they adopt to resolve the cognitive dissonance associated with counterfeit purchases. The findings not only offer an alternative angle to examine what drives counterfeit luxury consumption but also provide guidance for luxury brands to reduce demand for counterfeit products by emphasizing the potential damage counterfeit consumption can bring to one's self-image.Consumers purchase counterfeit luxury products for various reasons. In addition to wanting to demonstrate a desirable social status (Dhaliwal et al., 2020;Eisend & Schuchert-Güler, 2006), counterfeit consumers aim to attain pleasure and thrill from the shopping experience (Perez et al., 2010), project a smart shopper image