The role of marketing managers’ capabilities in strategic formulation and implementation: Evidence from small and medium enterprises

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Abstract

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), particularly in the home appliance, electronics, and information technology (IT) sectors, continue to face enduring challenges due to inadequate strategic processes and the underutilization of marketing managers. This study investigates the strategic role of marketing managers within these firms, focusing on their influence on strategic formulation, implementation, and overall organizational performance. Employing a quantitative, cross-sectional design, data were collected through a structured questionnaire from a random sample of 222 marketing managers. Analysis was performed using SPSS 26 and SmartPLS 3.9. The findings indicate that marketing manager have no statistically significant direct effect on firm performance, nor do they significantly influence strategic marketing. However, strategic marketing demonstrates a strong positive impact on firm performance, although it does not mediate the relationship between managerial capabilities and performance outcomes. These results challenge prevailing assumptions regarding the direct impact of managerial capabilities on performance and underscore the importance of strategic marketing as an independent driver. The study’s contextual and methodological limitations suggest avenues for future longitudinal and cross-sectoral research. This research contributes to strategic management literature by offering a refined perspective on the conditional role of marketing managers in SME performance.

Keywords: Managerial Capabilities, Strategic Marketing, Firm Performance, RBV Theory

Authors’ individual contribution: Conceptualization — S.R.; Methodology — C.L.; Software — S.R.; Validation — F.N.; Formal Analysis — S.R.; Investigation — T.A.-N.; Resources — T.A.-N.; Data Curation — F.N.; Writing — Original Draft — C.L.; Visualization — F.N.; Supervision — S.R.; Project Administration — C.L.; Funding Acquisition — T.A.-N.

Declaration of conflicting interests: The Authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

JEL Classification: M1, M31, L21, L25

Received: 17.10.2024
Revised: 27.01.2025; 17.06.2025
Accepted: 24.07.2025
Published online: 29.07.2025

How to cite this paper: Rabah, S., Larabi, C., Al-Nahdi, T., & Nawaz, F. (2025). The role of marketing managers’ capabilities in strategic formulation and implementation: Evidence from small and medium enterprises. Corporate & Business Strategy Review, 6(3), 202–215. https://doi.org/10.22495/cbsrv6i3art19