A conceptual framework of antecedents of information search in exporting : Importance of ability and motivation

Purpose – The most commonly used segmentation approach to understand information acquisition behavior in the exporting context is to group individuals/firms on a variety of demographic and psychographic variables. This paper argues that while psychographic and demographic segmentation provide descriptive information about who are likely to engage in information search, they are insufficient to provide insights into why individuals search. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing upon the applied psychology literature, an integrative framework using the key constructs of motivation and cognitive ability is developed that conceptualizes the influences of and outcomes from information acquisition. Practical implications – By studying information acquisition within the context of the interactions between motivation and ability, normative insights can be gained on the likelihood of management's active participation in information search. The author develops a typology for the nature of information acquisition to explain the behaviors of user firms with respect to government‐sponsored export programs/services. Originality/value – This paper attempts to make two contributions to the export behavior literature: by setting the stage for a more multi‐disciplinary analytical and deliberate approach to export information acquisition with respect to identifying relevant variables as antecedents to motivation and cognitive ability to search, and developing a conceptual framework for addressing their relationship to export performance; and advancing research propositions that facilitate empirical testing of these relationships in future research.