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Managing Marketing: The Elevated View of Marketing within Firms

  • Itzhak Gnizy ORCID logo EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: October 16, 2025
Review of Marketing Science
From the journal Review of Marketing Science

Abstract

The interest in marketing strategic management within firms has given rise to numerous studies. While marketing remains a central driver of business performance and despite its managerial importance, studies fail to capture key developments in firm profiles (e.g. globalization and shifts in marketing’s organizational role), particularly the interplay between marketing’s functional and processual dimensions across domestic and international contexts. Notably, becoming a market-based organization requires marketing to diffuse various facets. This gap may result in model misspecification, limited generalizability, and an incomplete understanding of how marketing is managed within modern organizations. To address these issues, this study articulates the rationale for an elevated ambidextrous view of marketing by introducing a holistic, integrative framework grounded in the realities of 21st-century business. The study proposes a novel multivariate model that combines multiple facets of marketing (functional and processual dimensions, and domestic and international contexts), which have not been examined together in prior research. To illustrate this approach, the study investigates the fundamental issue of the position of marketing within firms using a mixed-method design (qualitative pretest, quantitative pretest, and main study) with firm-data drawn from both subjective and objective sources. Our additive findings reveal that marketing facets interact in complex ways and influence performance differently. Moreover, performance consequences are dependent on contingencies. These results offer new theoretical insights and practical implications by highlighting the need for an elevated, ambidextrous view in marketing management. The study contributes a multi-lens perspective that enhances a more integrative management of marketing and broadens the dialogue on marketing’s strategic role in contemporary firms.

Keywords: ambidexterity; international/domestic marketing function; international/domestic marketing influence; international/domestic market orientation; international/domestic performance
Corresponding author: Itzhak Gnizy, Ono Academic College, Kiryat Ono, Israel, E-mail:

Appendix: Scales

Construct (Source) Items
Domestic/International marketing functional influence
Perceived influence

(Verhoef and Leeflang 2009)		 To what extent you agree with the following statements (1 = strongly disagree; 7 = strongly agree)

  1. The functions performed by the DM/IM function (department) are generally considered more critical than others are.

  2. Top management considers the DM/IM function to be more important than other functions.

  3. The DM/IM function tends to dominate other functions in decision-making.

  4. The DM/IM function is considered more influential than others are.
Decision influence

(Gnizy and Soham 2014)		 How frequently does the DM/IM function (department) participates in decision on (1 = very infrequent; 7 = very frequent):

  1. The adoption of new programs.

  2. The adoption of new policies.

  3. Hiring new staff.

  4. Promotions of any of the professional staff.
Domestic/International market orientation
DMO/IMO (Gnizy 2019) Indicate the extent to which the following statements reflect your firm (1 = very uncommon; 7 = very common):

  1. Our firm’s strategy for competitive advantage is based on our thorough understanding of our DOMESTIC /international customer needs

  2. All our managers understand how the entire business can contribute to creating DOMESTIC /international customers value

  3. Our firm responds quickly to negative DOMESTIC /international customer satisfaction information throughout the organization

  4. Our firm’s market strategies are to a great extent driven by our understanding of possibilities for creating value for DOMESTIC /international customers
Moderators
DM/IM market turbulence

(Verhoef and Leeflang 2009)		 Indicate the level of change in the last three years in the DOMESTIC /most important INTERNATIONAL markets where your firm was active on the following elements (1 = infrequent changes; 7 = very frequent changes):

  1. Customer preferences

  2. Competitive intensity

  3. Production/process technology

  4. Surrounding (e.g., legal, political, economic)
Domestic/International performance
Performance Relative to your firm’s goals, how satisfied are you with the firm’s DOMESTIC /international operation on (1 = very dissatisfied; 7 = very satisfied):

  1. Sales volume

  2. Sales growth
Comparative top management respect between DM and IM functions
Top management respect (Verhoef and Leeflang 2009) Compare the DM and IM functions (departments) on the following statements (1 = DM superior; 7 = IM superior):

The top management of our firm:

  1. Has much respect for the activities of the function.

  2. Considers the function an in-expensive function.

  3. Recognizes the strategic importance of the function.

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Received: 2024-12-14
Accepted: 2025-10-07
Published Online: 2025-10-16

© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

https://doi.org/10.1515/roms-2024-0169
Keywords for this article
ambidexterity; international/domestic marketing function; international/domestic marketing influence; international/domestic market orientation; international/domestic performance
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