3.4. Export environment
Finally, there is growing support for a contingency theory
perspective of the influence of environmental turbulence on
market-oriented behaviors. Specifically, turbulent market conditions
exert pressure on firms to quickly generate and disseminate new knowledge about the market place, and to
respond rapidly to the changes occurring, while less turbulent
conditions appear to merit lower levels of market-oriented
behavior (e.g., Avlonitis & Gounaris, 1999; Van Egeren &
O'Oconnor, 1998). Thus, ‘environment-market orientation fit’
is achieved by adjusting market-oriented behavior levels to
match the demands placed on the firm by the environment.
Empirical evidence from the exporting context is limited
(Cadogan et al., 2001), but also tends to indicate that
environmental turbulence is associated with higher levels of
EMO behavior. Consequently:
H9. The relationship between export environmental turbulence
and EMO behavior is positive.