Study of the effect of dynamic marketing capabilities on market-focused flexibility by explaining the mediating role of financial resources and spatial configuration: A case study of export companies based in Lorestan industrial towns

Introduction: The competitive conditions and the increasing changes in the demands of customers and the business environment today require companies to adapt to the changing conditions of the market and align with it in order to survive and achieve a better position. In such a situation, flexibility based on market changes, or market-focused flexibility, is not only a choice but a necessity as well. In general, according to the perspective of strategic marketing management, environmental uncertainty and market characteristics can be factors highlighting the need for flexibility based on market changes and a support for performance and competition in different fields. This means that, due to being faced with the high speed of industrial innovations, business managers must create market-focused flexibility that leads to achieving sales goals and sustainable competitive advantage. However, companies need resources and capabilities to create market-focused flexibility. Therefore, examining the factors that affect market-oriented flexibility can help to create, maintain and develop this important advantage. In this regard, the present research was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of dynamic marketing capabilities on market-focused flexibility with the mediating effect of financial resources and spatial configuration variables.
Methodology: This research is applied in terms of purpose, descriptive-survey in terms of method and nature, and based on a quantitative research approach. The statistical population of the research was composed of all the managers and marketing experts of the companies located in the industrial towns of Lorestan Province that had at least two years of exportation activity. There were totally 22 export companies located in seven cities of the province, and 110 people worked in the mentioned positions and had the most information about the subject of the research. Due to the limited statistical population of the research, a total of 90 people were selected as the statistical sample by using the simple random sampling method and Cochran's formula. The data collection tool of the current research was the standard questionnaire designed with 36 questions or items. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed through the content validity method and its reliability with Cronbach's alpha method. It was given to all the people in the statistical sample, out of which 84 completed the questionnaire. In order to analyze the data collected from these people, demographic data analysis was done using the SPSS software version 24, and the data analysis was done in order to test the hypotheses using the partial least square method and the Smart PLS software version 3.
Results and discussion: In this research, the impact of dynamic marketing capabilities on market-oriented flexibility was investigated by explaining the mediating role of financial resources and spatial configuration. This was conducted as a case study in the export companies located in the industrial towns of Lorestan Province. The results of the research indicate that dynamic marketing capabilities have a positive and significant effect on market-oriented flexibility. Also, financial resources and spatial configuration each separately have a positive and significant effect on market-oriented flexibility. In the present study, the mediating role of financial resources and spatial configuration was also confirmed. Therefore, in addition to the direct effect, dynamic marketing capabilities have a positive and significant effect on market-oriented flexibility indirectly along with the mediating role of two variables, financial resources and spatial configuration. In fact, it was investigated whether companies can improve their market-focused flexibility through the use of dynamic marketing capabilities directly and through the mediation of financial resources and spatial configuration indirectly. As the results obtained from the inferential statistics show, all the hypotheses of the research have been confirmed and, therefore, the answer to the above question is positive.
Conclusion: As a general result, by creating and using dynamic marketing capabilities, managing financial resources and proper spatial configuration, the market-focused flexibility of export companies has increased and led to better and greater adaptation to changing market conditions. In fact, in today's changing and competitive conditions, all companies, especially those active in exports, like the one in this study, if flexible according to the perspective of strategic marketing management, will have better conditions to respond and adapt to the uncertainties of the business environment. Therefore, it is necessary for business managers to pay special attention to influencing factors such as dynamic marketing capabilities, financial resources and appropriate spatial configuration to create and reinforce different types of market-focused flexibility.