No abstract

Although information use is crucial for effective export decision making and ultimately export performance, most of the extant literature focuses on information acquisition rather than information use. Using data from a five-country survey of exporting firms, this study examines the impact of information-, export-, and context-specific variables on different types of export information use. The results show that the effects of these factors depend on the type of information use considered and the mode of information acquisition involved. The authors discuss implications of the findings and identify further research directions.Export information plays a critical role in fostering company internationalization, because lack of information is a major barrier to both export initiation and export expansion (Katsikeas 1994). However, mere acquisition of information is not, in itself, sufficient to ensure that the decisions made will be effective. One reason for this is that decision makers may possess but not use information; indeed, according to March and Shapira (1982, p. 98), many firms "gather more information and don't use it, ask for more and ignore it, make decisions first, and look for the relevant information afterward." Another reason is that in the current information-intensive business environment, competitive advantage increasingly lies not in the possession of knowledge but in the skills associated with effective knowledge use. As Zaltman and Moorman (1988, p. 16) observe, "essentially the same information is available to competing firms at about the same time. As a consequence, competitive advantage is to be found increasingly in what is done with information, that is, how it is used or employed rather than in who does or does not have it."Despite the apparent importance of information use, most information-related studies in the export literature have focused on acquisition rather than utilization issues (for a review, see Leonidou and Katsikeas 1997). Moreover, the few studies that specifically report on export information use have typically focused on only one type of use, instrumental use (e.g., Diamantopoulos and Siguaw 2002), thus ignoring that information use is a multidimensional construct (Menon and Varadarajan 1992). Finally, on the empirical front, much export-information-use research has operationalized use with single-item scales (e.g., Crick, Jones, and Hart 1994) and

Purpose – Only a limited number of studies have examined the behaviour and the strategies of children and parents during shopping. This ethnographical study aims at thoroughly understanding family decision-making when shopping for groceries, especially children's and parents' negotiation strategies. Design/methodology/approach – Using a qualitative ethnographical approach, seven known families were accompanied on 19 grocery shopping trips. Their behaviour, their interactions and their strategies during shopping were observed. Analysis was conducted by coding relevant information, defining categories, comparing data and identifying patterns. Findings – The results show that children constantly influence their parents, directly and indirectly. They do this by displaying various behaviours in the grocery store. Their negotiation tactics are diverse, as are parents' reactions to their children's negotiation strategies. Children aim at fulfilling spontaneous desires while parents want to restrain their children's requests. Research limitations/implications – Limitations of the study can be found in their qualitative methodology. Practical implications – This study has several implications for marketers. By learning about the joint decision-making process, companies as well as public policy makers will be able to address families more successfully and market healthy food more effectively. Originality/value – This study contributes to existing research on family decision-making by presenting different ways of children and parents behaviour during shopping trips. It applied an unusual technique of observing well-known families on their shopping trips.

No abstract

Empirical studies in export performance research are characterized by vastly empiricist and eclectic research designs. Partial models—i.e., models that investigate selected determinants of export performance—are symptomatic of this stream of research. Structural modeling techniques allow for the analysis of complex relations, which integrate a vast number of success factors into an extensive model in order to avoid over-emphasis of single determinants and to conduct an integrative investigation of different bundles of variables. In this article, the cross-validation and further development of a structural model for the prediction of export performance that was recently conceived in Austria is outlined.