SHAHIN ASSADINIA

Research Title:
Niche Marketing Strategy and Export Performance in SMEs: A Dynamic Capabilities Perspective.

Research Topic:
Niche Marketing, Dynamic Capabilities, Export performance

Research description:
This dissertation aims to synthesize the strategic management, marketing, and exporting literatures to examine how exporting SMEs can develop and actually implement niche marketing strategies by using their resources and capabilities. Such SMEs are able to proactively deal with entry barriers to be successful, irrespective of harsh global market conditions. The research focuses on the internal and external processes through which export market orientation and dynamic capabilities influence performance in export markets, and develops a model of export market orientation- marketing Dynamic capabilities- niche marketing strategy and export performance relationships.  Overall, two specific contributions will emerge from the research. First, our study will extend prior work on the implication of dynamic capabilities in exporting SMEs by recognizing the potential relationship between the export market orientation, marketing dynamic capacities and niche marketing. Second, our study will determine internal operational connections between export market orientation, marketing dynamic capability, niche strategy and export performance to provide useful managerial implications.

Start date and Research from: Full time PhD candidate from 1st October 2010

Research supervisor(s): Professor Matthew Robson and Dr. Magnus Hultman

Background:
MBA, Carleton University, Canada
BSs Industrial Management, University of Tehran, Iran

Work experience:
Head of Export Marketing Department, ISACO, Iran, 2007- 2010

Awards:
Scholarship, Leeds University Business School, UK, 2011
Best Marketer Award, ISACO, Iran, 2009