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Knowledge needs of firms: the know-x framework for marketing strategy

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Abstract

In today’s knowledge-intensive economy, the acquisition, development, and management of knowledge are fundamental to the survival and growth of firms. Consequently, organizational knowledge has emerged as a potential source of competitive advantage for firms. Specific to the marketing context, research has long since recognized the role of knowledge in effective marketing. Therefore, through a systematic review of organizational knowledge research and the knowledge business environment, this paper (1) identifies different types of organizational knowledge required by firms and develops the know-x framework, (2) discusses exemplars of different types of marketing knowledge products that firms might require, (3) identifies and discusses critical issues and concerns with reference to each of the marketing knowledge types, and (4) discusses the implications of knowledge types (know-x framework) for marketing strategy in general and market orientation strategy in particular. The paper concludes with a discussion of contributions and directions for future research.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the editor and the anonymous reviewers for their constructive guidance in strengthening the manuscript.

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  1. Monte Ahuja College of Business, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, 44115, USA

    Sreedhar Madhavaram, Andrew C. Gross & Radha Appan

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  1. Sreedhar Madhavaram
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Correspondence to Sreedhar Madhavaram.

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Madhavaram, S., Gross, A.C. & Appan, R. Knowledge needs of firms: the know-x framework for marketing strategy. AMS Rev 4, 63–77 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13162-014-0062-4

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