| Abstract: | Despite its increasing importance on current literature, prior research on export strategy development is limited to the examination of the effectiveness of only two strategy‐making modes (formal planning and the entrepreneurial mode) in a non‐comparative manner. In contrast, this study evaluates and compares the effects of four different strategy‐making approaches on export performance and examines which of the four approaches performs better under different environmental conditions. Specifically, the study examines three characteristics of the environment: dynamism, hostility and diversity. Empirical research on a sample of British exporters confirmed that the choice of the strategy development mode is an important element in the determination of export performance and that environmental conditions moderate this relationship. Of the export strategy‐making modes examined, the entrepreneurial and adaptive modes appear to be the most successful. |
