The Critical Role of Relationship Quality in Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprise Internationalization

Due to limited resources, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) carefully develop and leverage relationships with foreign, independent intermediaries. This article investigates "relationship quality," a collection of intangible organizational resources in the exporter-intermediary rel...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of global marketing 2010-01, Vol.23 (1), p.16-32
Main Authors: Kuhlmeier, David B., Knight, Gary
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Commitments
Communication
Cooperation
export
Exports
foreign intermediary
Globalization
Relationship quality
resource-based view
Small & medium sized enterprises-SME
small- and medium-sized enterprise
Studies
Trust
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Summary:Due to limited resources, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) carefully develop and leverage relationships with foreign, independent intermediaries. This article investigates "relationship quality," a collection of intangible organizational resources in the exporter-intermediary relationship that support the internationalization and foreign performance of SMEs. Four dimensions of relationship quality-communication, cooperation, trust, and commitment-are modeled and linked to intermediary performance. Findings highlight the significance of relationship quality, its dimensions, and how they support intermediary performance. Cooperation and commitment are significant performance antecedents. Trust is a significant antecedent of commitment, and communication drives cooperation, trust, and commitment. The study provides SMEs a way to enhance the quality of relationships with, and to help improve the performance of, their intermediaries in export markets.
ISSN:0891-1762
1528-6975
DOI:10.1080/08911760903439636