Integration of outside-in and inside-out entrepreneurial marketing capabilities, marketing agility, and resources for entrepreneurial firms performance

Abstract
Purpose
The resource-based view (RBV) emphasises the importance of resources for firm
performance. However, recent research argues that the focus on firm performance should also be based on inside-out (IO) and outside-in (OI) capabilities. Specifically, we study the importance of resources on product development (an IO) and market driving (an OI) entrepreneurial marketing capabilities on entrepreneurial firm performance in an emerging market. The study further investigates the moderating effects of marketing agility on the
relationship between resources and capabilities.
Design
The study is based on survey data of a multi-industry sample of 102 entrepreneurial firms in Pakistan.
Findings
The results show that marketing agility moderates the relationship between resource-mix flexibility on product development and market driving capabilities, but it only positively moderates the relationship between resource-mix inimitability and product development capability. Marketing driving and product development capabilities play a role as parallel mediators between resources and firm performance.
Originality
The study lies at the intersection of marketing and entrepreneurship literature by 1) providing a nuanced understanding of marketing agility as a boundary spanning factor for IO and OI entrepreneurial marketing capabilities; 2) integrating the resource types and product development from IO and market-driving from OI capabilities perspectives; 3) identifying the effects of IO and OI on firm performance providing guidance for entrepreneurs seeking
improved firm performance.