Surveys nine relatively new exporters with a view to defining their motivation and characteristics in relation to their first export orders. Suggests that the characteristics of these innovators/initiators of exporting are similar to those of innovators in other situations. Reveals that those who are likely to start exporting are those who have little loyalty to the UK marketing area. Underlines the importance of change agents in initiating the innovation.
Concerns itself with competitive position accounting measurement, stating that it is a much more complex task, however, than devising a standard procedure for measuring competitive position. States that changes in competitive position generally build gradually, ebbing and flowing. Argues that a competitor's sales revenue is perhaps the most important of all competitive indicators and that estimation of this for firms and markets must be prime in developing a strategic management accounting system. Adds that market share provides a link between accounting performance of the single period for which the share is measured and the performance of future periods. Sums up by showing within this article that accounting representation of a firm's competitive position within an industry is possible by using quite basic accounting measurements. Goes on to say there is much development needed to refine methods of accounting for competitors, but the resulting change in the role of accountants will be immense.
Marketing can be viewed as organized rational innovation -a function concerned with identifying the opportunity for change, inducing the action required and monitoring the change once introduced. This viewpoint establishes innovation as an eighth paradigm for marketing, alongside seven paradigms previously recognized within marketing theory. It is the only paradigm to focus directly on the function of marketing -on what the marketer actually does. As such, it draws traditional marketing management literature into marketing theory and highlights the problem of establishing and maintaining an innovative marketing function within an organizational environment resistant to change.
Summary This paper presents the case for a geocentric approach to global strategy formation. It describes the geographic adjustments that are the embodiment of both attack and defence under global competition, and the geographic units that multinationals adopt as their primary organizational units to identify and carry out these adjustments. In addition to actions with local effects, global competitive performance demands actions from these primary units which will have payoffs accruing to other units. The geocentric approach to global strategy endeavours to identify and stimulate these cross‐unit opportunities through collaboration among units and the centre. The consequent needs at unit level for information on the global competitive situation are examined, as well as some common impediments to geocentric collaboration imposed by the design of planning, accounting and reporting systems.
When firms expand beyond single market boundaries, problems grow exponentially. Poor selection of markets, underestimation of competitors, misunderstanding of customer differences, and entry at the wrong price are all common pitfalls. So, too, are the failure to contemplate what expansion within any one market will imply and the choice of inappropriate partners.
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