Entry Mode Strategy and Firm Performance in Emerging Economy: Moderating Role of Organisational Structure and Environmental Turbulence

Abstract

Research question: This study assessed the combined moderating effect of organizational structure and environmental turbulence on entry mode strategy - performance link focusing on baby care industry in Lagos State, Nigeria. Motivation: The manufacturers of baby care products in Nigeria have struggled to understand the complexities of entry mode strategy and how to use firm-specific capabilities to contain the threats from new entrants given the idiosyncrasies of the business environment in Nigeria. Also, considering the fast changing business environment and the need for firms to align internal organisational structure to manage the external environmental challenges, this study via the supposition of Hage (1965) axiomatic theory of organisations examined the joint moderating effect of organisational structure and environmental turbulence on entry mode strategy - performance linkage focusing on the baby care industry in Lagos State, Nigeria. Idea: Empirical submissions on the combined moderating effect of organizational structure and environmental turbulence on the interactions of entry mode strategy and organizational performance are sparse. Hence, this study addressed this gap in literature. Data: The survey research design and a sample of 518 employees engaged in FMCG manufacturers in Lagos State, Nigeria were adopted for this study. Tools: A validated structured questionnaire was the instrument of data collection for this study and the hierarchical regression analysis was adopted to test the hypotheses formulated. Findings: The results showed that the interaction between entry mode strategy and firm performance was positive and significant. Further analysis revealed that the interaction term of organizational structure and environmental turbulence accounted for the rise in firm performance to suggest that organizational structure and environmental turbulence are joint significant moderators. This suggests that entry mode strategy appropriateness is key to firm performance and that the fit between organisational structure and the macro-environment is a precondition to higher performance. Contribution: This study adds to recent empirical literature on the link between entry mode strategy, organizational structure, environmental turbulence, and firm performance within emerging economy context, and it provides additional support for the assumptions of the eclectic theory and Hage’s axiomatic theory of organization.