Export Marketing Responsibility: Doing More, Getting What? The Evidence From Vietnam Wood Furniture Industry

The question whether developing country producers are better off by “sticking to their knitting” in continuing to specialize in upstream activities including manufacturing, while leaving the downstream activities - such as marketing and sales – in the hands of its international partners; or, alternatively, by involving themselves in the downstream activities as an add-on to their own manufacturing has been theoretically debated among different literature streams. This research examines, both theoretically and empirically, whether taking marketing responsibility strengthens export performance of developing country firms. The hypothesis testing based on large scale primary data collected in wooden furniture industry in Vietnam confirm that more involving in export marketing activities except for distribution and after sale in final market significantly relate to better export performance.