The influence of relational capability and marketing capabilities on the export performance of emerging market firms

Abstract

Purpose Drawing on the resource-based view, the purpose of this paper is to focus on the influence of relational capability and marketing capabilities on export performance. The study also examines the interaction effects of relational capability on the marketing capabilities – export performance relationships. Design/methodology/approach A stratified random sample of 1,047 exporting firms was approached. Survey data were collected from 333 Vietnamese exporting firms and analysed using hierarchical moderated regression. Findings The results reveal that a firm’s relational capability not only strengthens the efficiency of the export pricing capability – performance, marketing intelligence capability – performance, and marketing communication capability – performance relationships, but is also the strongest predictor of export performance amongst those capabilities identified. Whilst engagement in market intelligence, product development, price setting and promotional activities have a positive payoff, the findings confirm that there is less need for exporters to engage in after-sales service and distribution capabilities. Originality/value The study introduces the notion of relational capability alongside export marketing capabilities as predictors of export performance. The authors also examine the moderating influence of relational capability on the link between export marketing capabilities and export performance. By focusing on Vietnam, the study provides fresh insights surrounding the development pathway for firms in emerging markets.

Technological capability, relational capability and firms’ performance

“…Consequently, the relational view advocated that when vertical power asymmetries exist among the collaborating business partners, the potential for extreme knowledge utilization by major and stronger partners is generally offset by the complementarities of the weaker partners (Obayi, Koh, Oglethorpe, & Ebrahimi, 2017). Therefore, relational capability has been established to positively influence marketing intelligent gathering (Pham et al, 2017), enhance firm's cultural orientation (Luvison & de Man, 2015), capability for the co-value creation and information sharing (Ngugi et al, 2010), and expedite the conversion of customer knowledge into specific market product (Sánchez-Gutiérrez, Cabanelas, Lampón, & González-Alvarado, 2018):…”

“…Equally, to determine how SMEs firm upgrade its knowledge and skills about the physical environment in a unique way and transforming the knowledge into instructions and designs for efficient creation of desired performance, technological capability was measured with 11 items adapted from the study of Wang et al (2006). Furthermore, the nine items used to measure relational capability in this study were adapted from Pham et al (2017), to ascertain how SMEs develop effective collaboration with strategic partners to access information and resource which cannot be independently provided to effectively satisfy the market needs. However, learning capability was measured with seven items adapted from the work of Hailekiros and Renyong (2016), which evaluates the degree of SMEs commitment toward the promotion and support of the firm's learning process to directly enhance performance and influence other capabilities to improve competitive advantage and performance.…”

“…However, inefficient capabilities have constrained the business activities and performance of SMEs (Sok, Snell, Lee, & Sok, 2017), especially, in African economies where human capital, technological, collaborative and innovative capabilities upset the competitiveness and performance of the sector (Asante, Kissi, & Badu, 2018;Akeyewale, 2018;Oyelaran-Oyeyinka & Abiola Adebowale, 2012). Nevertheless, extant literatures have established that technological, relational and learning capabilities are valuable, rare, inimitable and non-substitutable resources and dynamic capabilities that enhance the sustenance of competitive advantage and performance in rapidly changing environment (Yang et al, 2018;Pham, Monkhouse, & Barnes, 2017;Ahmad, Othman, & Mad Lazim, 2014). However, these capabilities have been studies on firms from plastic industry (Chantanaphant, Nabi, & Dornberger, 2013), professional and financial services (Ulbrich & Borman, 2017;Ainin, Kamarulzaman, & Farinda, 2010), healthcare, (Salas-Vallina, López-Cabrales, Alegre, & Fernández, 2017), constructions (Manley & Chen, 2015) and aviation industry (Rajasekar & Fouts, 2009), mostly from western developed world, the USA, Latin America and Emerging Asian economies.…”

“…Nevertheless, the concept of learning capability (Goh, Elliott, & Quon, 2012;Sok & O'Cass, 2011;Alegre & Chiva, 2008) emphasizes the importance of some facilitating factors for efficient organizational learning and innovative performance. Hence, technological and relational capabilities are essential dynamic capabilities in changing what the firm knows by internalizing new knowledge (Pham et al, 2017;Zawislak, Alves, Tello-Gamarra, Barbieux, & Reichert, 2013). These capabilities are therefore considered essential to the adaptation and assimilation of new knowledge and techniques to improve performance.…”

Strategic Marketing and Competitive Advantage of Selected Petroleum Products Marketing Companies in Nigeria: The Moderating Role of Resource Capabilities

“…In a similar vein, Pham et al (2017) investigated levels of conditions for marketing analysis and marketing capability using survey data set from a sample of 311 Vietnamese firms. Multiple regression analysis was used and the findings revealed that except for responsiveness to macro environment, marketing capability may not have a positive effect on firm performance.…”