Understanding market entry timing decisions: the practitioner‐academic gap

Notes that much is known in the academic literature about factors that may be influential in firms’ market entry timing decisions. Specifically, in response to a competitors’ pioneering new product introduction, academic research finds many conditions that suggest a greater desirability of immediate market entry while many other conditions suggest a greater desirability of a delayed response. Reports the results of a survey and experiment where working managers and experienced MBA students were asked to evaluate the timing of market entry given a complex business scenario. The results show areas where there is a consensus among decision makers with the academic literature, as well as areas where views differ from that of the literature. Perverts and discusses insights gained into the decision making processes of managers for market entry timing decisions. The study can help managers in follower firms achieve greater success in formulating market entry timing strategies by reducing ambiguity in the timing implications of many internal and external conditions, as well as by drawing attention to potential action biases.