Global marketing effectiveness via alliances and electronic commerce in business-to-business markets

Numerous changes in the global business climate have intensified global competition through new forms of competition as well as the addition of new competitors. As a result, domestic and international firms have to develop and implement marketing strategies that are aligned with the current global competitive realities. This study explores the influence of three overarching developments that stand out as having a dominating role in the shifting international competitive landscape: (1) the rapid growth of global business activities by existing firms and new entrants, for example, through increased international outsourcing (i.e., the intensification of importing activities); (2) the transition to managing supply chain systems through greater coordination of entire distribution channels, alliances, and relational exchanges; and (3) the emergence and increased strategic deployment of electronic forms of exchange, particularly with respect to information access, storage, and retrieval, as means of more efficient management of domestic and global network of operations and market intelligence. Managerial and research implications of these trends are discussed.