The Role of Relational Exchange between Exporters and Importers Evidence from Small and Medium-Sized Australian Exporters
The Role of Relational Exchange between Exporters and Importers Evidence from Small and Medium-Sized Australian Exporters
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出口商和进口商之间关系交换的作用 来自澳大利亚中小型出口商的证据
DOI：
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发表时间：
1998
影响因子：
6.2
通讯作者：
J. Jang
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Dong;J. Jang
随着市场的国际化，许多交易涉及跨越国界的商品和服务的转移。当营销人员在外国市场与客户打交道时，他们会遇到语言、消费者态度、法律法规和商业实践方面的差异。由于文化差异以及无法接触到族裔或非正式网络，在国际市场上发展关系需要更多的时间和精力。出口商与进口国缺乏文化亲和力往往被认为是其出口记录不佳的一个关键因素(Craig和Yetton，1994)。尽管关系交换的好处已经在营销文献中得到了广泛的讨论(Dwyer，Schurr和oh 1987；Gronroos 1995；Macneil 1980；Morgan and Hunt 1994；Sheth and Parvatiyar 1995)，但很少有研究探讨出口商和进口商之间的这种动态关系。这项研究的总体目标是在中小型出口商和进口商的背景下发展一种关系交流模式。基本的概念模型如图1所示。本研究的重点是澳大利亚出口商和韩国进口商之间的关系。之所以选择韩国，是因为韩国是澳大利亚出口商的第二大出口市场(Craig and Yetton 1994；Jhernan 1996)，韩国是关系交流相当普遍的国家之一，两国之间存在着巨大的文化差异(Hall And Hall 1987)。做出这样的选择使得本研究能够关注文化距离在进出口关系中的作用。本研究开发并检验了出口商和进口商之间关系交换的前因和后果模型。具体地说，本研究试图确定文化距离和交易特定资产(TSA)作为出口商和进口商之间关系交换的决定因素所起的作用。本研究还考察了关系交换对出口绩效的影响。最后，本研究考察了决策不确定性在关系交换与出口绩效之间的中介作用。从管理的角度来看，这项研究的结果对中小型出口企业尤为重要。这些公司往往缺乏在海外投资的资源，往往主要依靠出口来开展国际业务。最重要的是，这项研究将为出口商如何发展与外国进口商的关系提供实用指导。它还将提供对决策不确定性和绩效之间相互关系的见解。本文按如下方式进行。首先，我们将讨论文化距离和特定于交易的资产作为关系交换的先决条件。然后，我们讨论作为关系交换结果的绩效和决策的不确定性。接下来，我们以澳大利亚出口商和韩国进口商之间的关系为背景，对我们的假设进行了实证检验。最后，讨论了研究的结果，评估了其对我们理解进出口关系的贡献，并对未来的研究方向进行了讨论。概念发展文化距离和关系交流国外市场的特点往往是语言、法律法规、商业惯例和消费者态度的差异。母国和目标国之间的差异被称为“心理距离”或“文化距离”(Johanson和Valhne 1977)。随着文化距离的增加，经理们认为在外国的投资不那么有吸引力(Holzmuler和Kasper 1990年)；合资企业被认为是比收购更容易接受的进入方式(Kogut和Singh 1988)；经理们越来越愿意允许他们的公司减少对外国资产的控制程度(Anderson和Coughlan 1987；Bello和Gillland 1997；Erramilli和Rao 1993；Gatignon和Anderson 1988；Goodnow and Hansz 1972；Root 1983)。…
With the internationalization of the market place, many transactions involve the transfer of goods and service across national boundaries. When marketers deal with customers in a foreign market, they encounter differences in language, consumer attitudes, law and regulations, and business practices. Developing relationships in the international market requires more time and effort because of cultural differences and the inaccessibility of ethnic or informal networks. Often an exporter's lack of cultural affinity with importing countries has been advanced as a key factor in its poor exporting record (Craig and Yetton 1994). Although the benefits of relational exchange have been discussed extensively in the marketing literature (Dwyer, Schurr, and Oh 1987; Gronroos 1995; Macneil 1980; Morgan and Hunt 1994; Sheth and Parvatiyar 1995), very little research has explored this dynamic in the relationship between exporters and importers. The overall aim of this study is to develop a model on relational exchanges in the context of small and medium-sized exporters and importers. The underlying conceptual model is shown in Figure 1. This study focuses on the relationship between Australian exporters and Korean importers. Korea was chosen because Korea is the second largest export market for Australian exporters (Craig and Yetton 1994; Jhernan 1996), Korea is one of the countries where relational exchanges are quite pervasive, and a large cultural difference exists between the two countries (Hall and Hall 1987). Making such a selection allows this study to focus on the role of cultural distance in the export-import relationship. This study developed and tested a model of antecedents and consequences of relational exchange between exporters and importers. Specifically, this study attempted to establish the role of cultural distance and transaction-specific assets (TSA) as determinants of relational exchange between exporters and importers. This study also examined the effect of relational exchange on exporting performance. Finally, the study examined the mediating effects of decision-making uncertainty on the relationship between relational exchange and exporting performance. From a managerial perspective, the results of this study are particularly important for small and medium-sized exporting firms. These firms frequently lack the resources to invest abroad and tend to rely primarily on exporting for their international engagements. Most importantly, the study will provide practical guidelines for exporters on how to develop relational exchange with their foreign importers. It will also provide insights into the inter-relationships between decision-making uncertainty and performance. This article proceeds as follows. First, we will discuss cultural distance and transaction-specific assets as antecedents to relational exchange. We then discuss performance and decision making uncertainty as consequences of relational exchange. Next, we describe an empirical test of our hypotheses in the context of the relationship between Australian exporters and Korean importers. Finally, the results of the study, an assessment of its contribution to our understanding on the exporter-importer relationships, and directions for future research are discussed. Conceptual Development Cultural Distance and Relational Exchange Foreign markets are frequently characterized by differences in language, laws and regulations, business practices, and consumer attitudes. The perceived difference between the home nation and the target country is referred to as "psychic distance" or "cultural distance" (Johanson and Valhne 1977). As cultural distance increases, investment in the foreign country is perceived by managers as less attractive (Holzmuller and Kasper 1990); joint ventures are perceived as a more acceptable mode of entry than acquisitions (Kogut and Singh 1988); and managers become increasingly willing to allow their firms to reduce their degree of control of foreign assets (Anderson and Coughlan 1987; Bello and Gilliland 1997; Erramilli and Rao 1993; Gatignon and Anderson 1988; Goodnow and Hansz 1972; Root 1983). …