Organizational design in export framed by product strategy and firm characteristics: a descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to research how core product standardization/adaptation and firm characteristics may frame organizational design in exporting. The aim is to outline organizational design for optimal export performance and note that wrong organizational design may prevent effectiveness and success, despite how good the chosen strategy is. To achieve the above mentioned, empirical research grounded on positivist paradigm, quantitative approach, and survey techniques with descriptive, predictive and prescriptive analysis was employed, following well-known business principle that organizational structure follows strategy. Obtained findings indicate that organizational design may be framed on three parameters: standardization as an export marketing strategy for core products, firm size, and capital ownership. Those variables and their sub-levels are used for indicating prescriptions for organizational configuration, complexity, formalization, centralization, coordination and control, and suitable approach in international management depending on main export destination.