Antecedents and consequences of international marketing capabilities: insights from a systematic review

Abstract

Current research on international marketing capabilities (IMCs) remains fragmented, showing inconsistencies across theoretical, methodological and contextual dimensions. Therefore, a systematic synthesis of the literature is needed to identify the key antecedents and underlying mechanisms that shape IMCs. Additionally, this review examines how antecedents translate into meaningful outcomes across Global contexts and which theoretical perspectives are most appropriate to explain the development and effectiveness of IMCs. This study employed the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses framework to identify and screen relevant studies. The selected articles were analyzed using the antecedents-mechanisms-decisions-outcomes (AMDO) framework to extract multi-level antecedents, underlying mechanisms and outcomes of IMCs. Finally, the theory–context–method (TCM) framework was employed to identify theoretical foundations, contextual boundaries, methodological trends and scope for future research. The review identifies four levels of antecedents influencing IMCs. These antecedents operate at the firm, market, business and institutional levels. The study suggests that IMCs can be conceptualized as a higher-order construct comprising multiple interrelated capabilities that facilitate firms' competitiveness in international markets. AMDO framework demonstrates that these antecedents operate through underlying mechanisms, including dynamic, adaptive, digital and relational capabilities. These mechanisms, in turn, generate outcomes related to strategic orientation, organizational capability, relational and governance mechanisms, and performance. The review reveals that the resource-based view, dynamic capabilities theory and institution-based view are the dominant theoretical foundations underpinning IMC research. This literature review advances the IMCs literature by synthesizing evidence through AMDO framework and integrating insights from the TCM framework. The review identifies multi-level antecedents, underlying mechanisms shaping IMCs, reconceptualizes IMCs as a higher-order capability construct, and proposes a future research agenda to advance scholarly understanding.