E-commerce and Export Performance By Munib Karavdic

(1) the relationships between export marketing strategy and export performance are moderated by e-commerce utilisation and (2) the relationships between internal and external forces and export marketing strategy are moderated by e-commerce drivers. Therefore, two broad research questions are developed:

Research question 1: Does e-commerce utilisation strengthen the relationship between export marketing strategy and export performance?

Research question 2: Do e-commerce drivers affect the relationship between internal and external forces and export marketing strategy?

The purpose of the proposed framework is threefold: (1) to extend existing export marketing frameworks by incorporating additional determinants (e.g., e-commerce utilisation, e-commerce drivers), (2) to measure the impact of e-commerce utilisation on the export market strategy – export performance relationship, and (3) to measure the impact of e-commerce drivers on environmental determinants – export marketing strategy relationships.

1.4 Contributions

Building on the extant export literature and the emerging literature on e-commerce, this study advances a conceptual framework that highlights the role of e-commerce as an enabler and driver of competitive export marketing strategy. This research makes a contribution to the body of knowledge in four primary areas.

First, extending Cavusgil and Zou’s (1994) model, this research examines whether an exporter’s ability to utilise e-commerce capabilities can lead to better export performance. The findings in this study contribute to theory development on important moderating effects of e-commerce utilisation on the export marketing strategy-performance relationship.

Second, for the first time, several new constructs with multiple items related to e-commerce and environmental determinants are tested in the context of the export marketing strategy – performance relationship.

Third, this research extends existing literature on export marketing strategy and environmental determinants by showing how e-commerce moderates and influences proposed effects.

Finally, by modelling e-commerce in the context of a contingency model, this research contributes to the limited academic literature in marketing on the role of new technologies in the export marketing process.