Marketing capability and export performance: The moderating effect of export performance

As global competition around the world continues to intensify, firms are seeking strategies that will increase export performance. The purpose of this study is to examine the moderating effect of export involvement on the relationships among marketing capabilities, export performance, and export intensity. The main study was conducted by a questionnaire using the Saudi Arabia export ventures as the sampling frame. Data was analyzed with LISREL to test the moderating effect of export involvement. This study found that export involvement moderates the relationships among marketing capabilities, export performance, and export intensity. Product and distribution capabilities show a significant direct effect on export performance for the low involvement exporters. For the high involvement exporters, the promotion and distribution capabilities have a significant effect on export performance. The impact of the three marketing capabilities on export performance is moderated by export involvement. Depending on the level of export involvement, firms should selectively target different marketing capabilities to improve export performance. This paper fills the gap in our understanding of the differential impact of various marketing capabilities on export performance for firms in different levels of export involvement.