Learning and locale: The role of information, memory and environment in determining export differentiation advantage

Two interrelated corollaries of the increasingly global and information-based nature of the economy are that the business environment (or locale) is becoming increasingly turbulent and that as a result the ability to learn is becoming a primary source of competitive advantage. While researchers have explored either locale or learning in a domestic market context, we have little or no knowledge concerning the interaction of both learning and locale in determining competitive advantage in international contexts. This research seeks to address this gap by developing and assessing a model of export learning which specifies the role that various forms of environmental turbulence in the export market play in moderating the relationships between information acquisition, memory development and export differentiation advantage.