Managerial implications

This study provides a number of managerial implications related to marketing and new product development managers operating in export markets, especially in developing economies which share similar characteristics to Thailand such as Vietnam and Malaysia. First, firms are advised to realise the important role of ambidexterity in marketing capability and export venture performance. This study provides evidence that the exploitative and exploratory marketing capability complementarity can provide a basis for explaining the areas of influence that enable firms to achieve export performance objective. Firms can meet customers’ current expressed needs in export market to enhance their export venture performance by focusing on improving and refining their current skills and procedures associated with existing marketing mix-based activities, marketing strategy development and execution (i.e., current market segments, pricing, channel management, marketing communication, marketing planning and implementation, and other marketing activities). In a similar way, firms that are able to create new value to satisfy customers’ needs can achieve superior export venture performance by focusing on generating new skills associated with new marketing strategy development and execution (i.e., new segmentation, new positioning, new products, new channels and new marketing planning and implementation). In this way, implementing both exploitative marketing capability and exploratory marketing capability has a significant impact on enhancing export performance. As such, managers are advised to deploy the benefits of both exploitative marketing capability (i.e., improving the efficiency/effectiveness of current marketing communications processes) and exploratory marketing capability (i.e., establishing new distribution channel procedures) which positively impacts on export venture performance without making decision in selecting exploitative or exploratory capabilities in marketing. The evidence from this study suggests that in order to leverage export performance outcomes, an effort of complementing exploitation and exploration in marketing capability is required for firms in export market.

Having considered the role of ambidexterity in product innovation capability and export venture performance, the findings provide evidence that exploitative and exploratory product innovation capability complementarity can provide a basis for explaining the areas of influence that enable firms to achieve export performance

objective. This study suggests that these activities enhance export venture performance in a mutual relationship. Firms are able to explore new knowledge in new product discovery by having a deeper understanding in improving product development effort. In a similar way, firm enable to improve the economics of existing exploitative effort through successful exploration of a product development. As such, the adoption of distinct capability (exploitative and exploratory) in product development calls for a clear understanding of their effects. Therefore, managers are advised to deploy both exploitative product innovation capability and exploratory product innovation capability which positively impacts export venture performance. In addition, this study suggests that implementing both marketing capability and product innovation capability complementarity has a significant impact on export venture performance. As such, firms can deploy the benefits of both exploitative capability and exploratory capability in marketing and product innovations which positively influence export venture performance. For example, firms could serve their existing markets better by offering new product improvement (i.e., packaging design) and develop better product to match customer requirement by using existing marketing research to achieve better results through complementary capability of marketing and product innovation. In addition, firms could develop new products that provide new value required for new marketing activities (i.e., new distribution channel) to enter markets or seek to segment new market to develop new products that serve new target market. In a similar way, frequent product development forces marketing to develop greater technical competencies through emphasising on them during the new product launch. For this reason, firms enable to meet their customers’ needs in export market efficiently through extending product ranges, improving existing product quality which results in enhancing their export venture performance. As a result, firms can deploy the benefits of complementary capability in marketing and product innovation, which positively influence export venture performance without making decision in focusing on single activity. This indicates that managers are advised to focus on marketing and product innovation activities in the way that complement one another, which contribute to enhancing export venture performance.

Another practical implication of the study is that it inspires firms to pay attention to applying new technology (i.e., information technology systems) and new

management approaches (i.e., quality management, re-engineering) to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the firm operating systems. These activities function as internal drivers that enable firms to perform marketing capability and product innovation capability complementarity better in export market. This indicates that technological innovation capability and management innovation capability play a crucial role in the relationship between ambidexterity and complementarity in marketing and product innovation, and export venture performance. As a result, managers are advised to address these activities as they are necessary for complementary processes, which contribute to superior export venture performance of firms. For example, when firms launch new product to respond to a market need in export market, technology related systems (i.e., operation and delivery of the products enable firms to support and facilitate the implementation of the product innovation and to enhance their contributions.

Finally, this study offers implications for policy makers or government agencies in assisting export firms to pay greater attention to the role of marketing and R&D activities. For example, policy makers or government agencies may provide training and policy to reinforce or/and improve such activities of export firms to enhance their export venture performance.