Marketing Capabilities in the Transition Economy of Cuba: The Impact of Ownership Structure

The advantages of marketing capabilities to organizations have been largely documented in Western economies. However, there has been little research into these practices and their impact on business performance in transitional economies, and never before in Cuba. Additionally, although it has been argued that the firm’s ownership structure should impact on marketing capabilities, it has been poorly investigated. This exploratory study, utilizing data from a sample of 296 Cuban organizations, found that joint ventures with foreign partners display higher levels of marketing capabilities and better business performance than state own enterprises. However, state own enterprises with higher levels of marketing competitiveness also achieve higher levels of business performance.