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This research uses complexity theory to probe the relationship between competiveness and innovation in the marketing practises of large manufacturing firms that offer their branded products in a foreign market by engaging a network of local small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as resellers of their brand. A deductive, quantitative research approach was employed and data were collected over a nine-month period from resellers of international IT firms in India using a questionnaire. A structural equation modelling technique and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) were employed on a sample of 649 respondents to find answers to the questions raised. This research indicates that a successful business relationship between a brand and its resellers can enable both parties to compete in a competitive market. This study finds that innovativeness in the marketing initiatives of the brand can be a function of the contributions made by the brand to its competitiveness. Nevertheless, the findings are also subject to some limitations and provide direction for future research on the topic.
Gupta et al. (Wed,) studied this question.