Purpose – The economic realignment in Latin America has created two clusters, one stagnant in the north and the other growth-bound in the south. This study aims to focus on Brazil, the key player in the growth-bound southern cluster, and address three fundamental questions: how Brazilian...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate linkages among competitive strategy, strategic capabilities, environmental uncertainty, and organizational performance in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in China and the USA. Design/methodology/approach – In China, a survey was...

The concept of co‐operation amongst competitors has been considered for some time in the marketing literature generally, and in the small firm marketing literature specifically. However, despite the recognition that small firms do co‐operate, there has been comparatively little attention...

A number of recent studies have suggested that, for small businesses to compete with their larger counterparts in the electronic commerce environment, many are collaborating in a network arrangement. This study examines whether factors such as business size, business age, business sector or...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to detail the rationale for, and development of, the Export Marketing Profiling System; a methodology for profiling and benchmarking the capabilities of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) to compete internationally. Design/methodology/approach...

Purpose – This paper aims to critique the foundations of the relationship benefits concept and develop a theoretical model that is tested and validated. Design/methodology/approach – A series of exploratory in‐depth interviews were initially conducted and the results considered against...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine current patterns of international marketing activities of Italian gold firms with a special emphasis on the US market and to juxtapose them with those adopted by Indian gold firms. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of small‐ and...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between SME suppliers and large buyers, and so better inform competition policy in cases where market power resides with buyers. Design/methodology/approach – The theories of monopsony and oligopsony are applied to...

This paper reports research on the number of competitive methods used by firms and their impact on firm performance. The research was based on a survey of banks in the New England Federal Reserve district. It was found that an increased number of competitive methods resulted in a higher level of...