KOREASCHOLAR

This study examined how fit between marketing capabilities and exporting marketing strategies affects high growth exporting manufacturing firms’ performance. The result indicates that the marketing infrastructure of high growth exporting firms affects marketing capabilities, the selection of exporting marketing strategies, and high performance. High growth exporting firms in this research belong to machinery, steel, vehicles, electronics & electricity industries. High growth firms by the OECD-Eurostat Manual on Business Demography Statistics (2007) achieve annual average sales or employment growth over twenty percent each year, during a three-year period, and to employ ten or more workers from the first observation year. High growth firms can be considered to have more appropriate marketing capabilities fit with efficient exporting marketing strategies. Barbero et al. (2011) indicated that high growth is based on market expansion and innovation, which is highly related to marketing capabilities. Vorhies & Morgan(2003) addressed that marketing organization fit with strategies affects positively marketing performance. Thus the purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between marketing infrastructure and marketing capabilities, to identify the influence of marketing infrastructure on marketing capabilities and the choice of marketing strategies, and to analyze the effect of fit between marketing capabilities and exporting marketing strategies on superior performance. The performance of high growth exporting firms can be obtained in various ways. Marketing capabilities can explain most the selection of strategy for performance (Barbero, Casillas, and Feldman 2011). Morgan, Katsikeas, and Vorhies(2012) addresses that architectural marketing capabilities influence directly export venture financial performance and that specialized marketing capabilities affect directly export venture market performance. The important role of marketing capabilities is positively associated with a more appropriate fit between identifying customers’ needs and implementing marketing strategies to achieve high performance (Barbero, Casillas, and Feldman 2011). Katsikeas et al.(2006) indicate that fit between marketing strategies and marketing infrastructure is a core factor on the performance of exporting firms. Vorhies and Morgan (2003) indicate that marketing capabilities fit with strategy is a vital engine of marketing performance. Although marketing strategy alone is not related to marketing performance (Barbero et al,2011), marketing organization fit with marketing strategy is positively related to marketing performance (Vorhies and Morgan, 2003). Katsikeas, Leonidou, Morgan(2000) analyzed export performance measures based on various primary data and indicated that the interrelation of export performance measures are considered. Vorhies and Morgan (2003) used the concept of ideal marketing organization profile and measured the relationship between fit of marketing capabilities and marketing strategies. Especially Shoham (1998) indicated that sales-related measures can be more reasonable for exporting firms at early stage, while profit-related measures can be more for export-experienced firms. These findings posit that to achieve high performance, high growth exporting firms understand the importance of fit between marketing capabilities and marketing strategies.

• Kyong Ryul Koo(Changwon Chamber of Commerce & Industry)
• Kyung Hoon Kim(Changwon National University)
• Seong-jae Moon(Changwon National University)