International Product Life Cycle: A Reassessment and Product Policy Implications

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].. American Marketing Association is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Marketing. International product life cycle theory is one of the leading explanations of international trade patterns. Most of the tests to date have been based on U.S. experience. This study examines the theory from the standpoint of a (presumably) follower country. 1975 Israeli and U.S. export and import data were used to test applicability of IPLC theory to Israeli export performance. Marked deviations from theory predictions were found. An analysis of the findings leads to important implications for international marketing planning.