Relational governance mechanisms in export activities: Their determinants and consequences

Abstract

Taking the relational paradigm, the channel theory and the contingency approach as an orientation, this study's aim is to analyze the determinants and the consequences of the relational governance mechanisms between exporters and their foreign distributors. Specifically, this work explicitly validates the interrelationships between the exporter's dependence on its foreign distributor, the exporter's international capabilities, the foreign market environment, relational norms and export performance. The results show that relational norms have a positive impact on an exporter's result and that the greater an exporter's dependence on its distributors, on its international competences and on the volatility of the foreign markets, the more the exporter needs to maintain a relation with its foreign distributors based on information exchange, flexibility and cooperation.The data scrutiny uses structural equation modeling (SEM) through PLS as the statistical instrument. The sample comprises 212 Spanish exporting firms.