Paper info

Antecedents and outcomes of import strategy: the moderating role of competitive intensity and strategic pro-activeness

Leonidas C. Leonidou, Dayananda Palihawadana, Bilge Aykol and Paul Christodoulides

The paper was published at the 34th IMP-conference in Sri Lanka in 2018.

Drawing on the resource-based view of the firm, we propose and test a conceptual model of the drivers and outcomes of import strategy. Data, collected from 195 British importers of manufactured goods, were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Study results indicate that the existence of certain resources (i.e., human, financial, informational) and capabilities (i.e., source identification, adaptive, market development) of importing firms are conducive to the development of sound import strategies. In turn, the latter help the importer to achieve superior product differentiation and cost-based competitive advantages, although these were found to be contingent on home competitive intensity and the firm’s strategic pro-activeness. Finally, it was revealed that both product differentiation and cost-based advantages have a favorable impact on the importer’s financial performance