Abstract
Despite widespread research on the export behavior of firms, no integrative review of the empirical work in relation to export development models exists in the extant literature. This article reviews the main models on the subject, identifies their structural characteristics, evaluates the methodologies used for their validation, and analyzes the key conceptual issues emerging from their assessment. While valuable inroads into the mechanics and constituent parts of the export development process have been made, this avenue of empirical inquiry has attracted criticism on structural, methodological and conceptual grounds. Future research in the field should harness the eclectic contribution afforded by existing theory and, at the same time, enhance its status with contributions from marketing, business and other disciplines.
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*Dr. Leonidas C. Leonidou (Ph.D., M.Sc., University of Bath) is an associate professor at the School of Economics and Management of the University of Cyprus. His current research interests are in the areas of international marketing/purchasing, relationship marketing, and marketing in emerging economies.
**Dr. Constantine S. Katsikeas (Ph.D., M.A., University of Wales) is Sir Julian Hodge Professor of Marketing and International Business at Cardiff Business School at the University of Wales, U.K. His main research interests are centered on international marketing/purchasing, distribution behavior and industrial marketing.
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Leonidou, L., Katsikeas, C. The Export Development Process: An Integrative Review of Empirical Models. J Int Bus Stud 27, 517–551 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490846
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490846