Internal Relationship Marketing Research Articles

The influence of psychological contracts on exporter–distributor relationships and export venture performance: the conditional role of institutional distance

PurposeThis study explores the influence of informal “psychological contracts” (PCs), (as opposed to formal contractual relationships) on exporter–distributor relationships.Design/methodology/approachData were obtained from a sample of 127 exporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in New Zealand. The authors employed partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) for analyzing the measurement and structural models.FindingsPsychological contract fulfillment (PCF) enhances affective commitment and calculative commitment. Moreover, affective and calculative commitments mediate the relationship between PCF and export venture performance (EVP). The authors also find that institutional distance (ID) weakens the relationship between PCF and both affective and calculative commitment. Additionally, ID moderates the strength of the mediating mechanism for affective commitment; thus, the authors present a moderated-mediation model.Originality/valueTo date, international relationship marketing (IRM) literature has focused on PC breach, and business-to-business (B2B) marketing literature has focused on the effects of PCs on affective/relational commitment. This study offers novel insights by demonstrating the positive indirect effect of PCF on EVP via the mediating variables – affective and calculative commitment. The authors' findings also present a conditioning role of ID on the micro-level relationships of PCs.

Investigation of Antecedents and Outcomes of Employee Based Brand Equity in Services Sector of Pakistan

There is twofold purpose of the research; one is to empirically test the employee based brand equity (EBBE) model by integrating the major practices which include internal brand management, internal relationship marketing and internal marketing practices. It provides great insight for organization how to manage employees effectively with consideration to internal brand building. Secondly this model presents more appropriate and comprehensive way to determine organizational benefits. The cross-sectional study design with development of survey questionnaire to collect the data. The data was collected from CSR department of Telecommunication companies. The results shows strong support for the model and all the hypothesis were in support except the partial mediation of one hypothesis. This means the validation of model used for this research. The study contains both theoretical and managerial implications which contribute towards its soundness. Theoretically this study provides a more comprehensive and integrated view of EBBE and its benefits. Along with this also enriches the literature in this area of marketing. This study models the maximum practices of EBBE under one umbrella. Looking towards its managerial implications it provides help the management to analyse and understand the factors that influence the employee. This also provides a wider picture of benefits that are result of successful implementation of this model. On the basis of this model the management can make decisions and take initiatives to the employee’s perception towards the branding and their positive impact in brand building. This research makes following important contributions; strengthen the EBBE literature; secondly provides more comprehensive view of EBBE; thirdly this analysis is made in services sector of developing country context; fourth incorporate the employee’s perceptions towards the brand building efforts and how organizations can deal with it.

Research Constituents, Intellectual Structure, and Collaboration Patterns in Journal of International Marketing: An Analytical Retrospective

This study presents a retrospective on Journal of International Marketing using bibliometrics. The study finds that the journal’s run has been characterized by continuous growth in publications and citations, with a dominant contribution base of authors from the United States. Authors have consistently shown a strong preference for quantitative research, with a decline in preference for qualitative research and a negligible increase in preference for mixed-methods research in recent years. The major themes in the journal include global branding, internationalization, cross-cultural marketing, and international relationship marketing. An exploration of the factors affecting article citations reveals that article attributes such as the conceptual method, empirical method, article length, title length, article age, and number of keywords play significant roles in increasing the number of citations. Authors affiliated with nonacademic institutions also have a significant and positive influence on total citations. The article concludes with directions for further research.

Implementation of Relationship Marketing in Takaful through Wakalah Business Model

Wakalah is one of the business models in Takaful that is currently applied by all Takaful operators in Malaysia. In Wakalah, the utilization of principal-agent relationships are more than its physical term and conditions in the agency contract. How do principal-agent relationships in Wakalah works in Takaful? How do these relationships connected to marketing of Takaful products and services to public? How does the relationships form a tool of relationship marketing (RM)? Therefore, this paper attempts to achieve two aims. The first aim is to identify the form of RM in Takaful through Wakalah Model. Secondly, to analyze the implementation of RM in Takaful through Wakalah model. The methods used are document research and analyzed with qualitative content analysis. The findings show that there are two forms of RM namely internal RM and external RM that are embedded in the principal-agent relationships of Takaful and can be used as a tool to attract potential prospects and existing customers to participate in Takaful.

Internal Relationship Marketing and Job Performance: A Theoretical Analysis

Human resources are considered as one of the important intangible resources of company composed mainly of employees' knowledge, skills and attitudes. When human capital is scarce, precious and difficult to imitate, it can be a source of sustainable competitive advantage. Internal Relationship Marketing (IRM) acts in this sense. It is considered as a process of creating, developing and maintaining sustainable relationships between the company and its employees. In this context, and through an analysis of the existing literature in this field, we will try to study the effects of IRM on the employee job performance. The main results of this work are that the IRM, through its relational determinants namely: communication, organizational trust, organizational commitment and job satisfaction, help improve employee job performance and more precisely task performance and contextual performance. This study wraps up by a proposal of a conceptual model, linking the different components of our research.

A behavioral model of international channel relationships

ABSTRACTPurpose: The main purpose of the study is to fill the existing gap in international relationship marketing (IRM) literature by developing and testing empirically a comprehensive conceptual model of firms’ relationship with their marketing channels in export markets. Whereas concepts such as power, conflicts, trust, commitment, and communication have been shown to be related to the economic success of interfirm cooperation in general and buyer–seller relations in particular, the need for a comprehensive model is often expressed in the literature.Methodology/approach: The authors combine commitment-trust theory with resource-based and knowledge-based view perspectives to develop a new comprehensive conceptual model of firms’ relationship with their marketing channels in export markets. Data from 104 strategic business units in Israel was used to test the model empirically.Findings: Notably, the model tested explained a higher percentage of the variance in performance. The findings suggest that noncoercive power enhances relationship quality (i.e., communication, trust, and commitment), which in turn improve cooperation and export performance. Conflict had a negative effect on relationship quality. In addition, cooperative conflict management strategies had a positive moderating effect on the conflict— relationship quality link, whereas competitive conflict management strategies had a negative moderating effect on the impact of conflict on relationship quality. Finally, the results suggest that there are strong positive relations between communication and trust and between trust and commitment.Research implications: The research develops and tests empirically a conceptual comprehensive model of firms’ relationship with their marketing channels in export markets by including major performance drivers. The model incorporates conflict management strategies and combines commitment-trust theory with resource-based view (RBV) and knowledge-based view (KBV), an innovative combination with great explanatory potential. Based on the findings, there is sufficient support for using the suggested model as a new integrative behavioral model that explains channel relationships.Practical implications: The results indicate that managers should use noncoercive power and cooperative conflict management strategies in order to positively affect relationship quality (i.e., communication, trust, and commitment), which in turn enhances cooperation and export performance.Originality/value/contribution: The suggested research model presents a novel combination of existing relationship marketing (RM) knowledge with the limited IRM knowledge into a comprehensive IRM model. It includes new relationships beyond those studied before. Integrating and synthesizing results from a large body of conceptual and empirical literature led to the final model. Accordingly, it contributes elements of newness. First, the model includes major antecedents of performance. To the best of our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive model of firms’ relationship with their international marketing channels in export markets. Second, there are almost no studies investigating conflict management strategies neither in RM nor in IRM models. Accordingly, a contribution of this research is incorporating conflict management strategies within the model and analyzing their effects.

The role of supplier performance in building customer trust and loyalty: A cross-country examination

Building trust in buyer–seller relationships is a focal issue in relationship marketing. However, there are mixed results concerning the performance outcomes of trust. Also, no attention has been given to linking supplier performance aspects to the development of trusting relationships. In this study we propose a conceptual model of supplier performance drivers and customer loyalty consequences of trust in supplier–organizational customer relationships. We test the model relationships using data from three different countries, namely, France, Hungary, and the U.K., in an effort to assess the extent to which the development and outcomes of trust are consistent across different countries. The results suggest that supplier performance in product quality and sales service quality is conducive to trust building across all three countries. Supplier performance in technical repair service support enhances trust in the market contexts of France and Hungary, but has no significant effect in the case of the U.K. Nonetheless, supplier performance in complaint handling has a positive effect on trust in the U.K. and French contexts, but no link is established in the context of Hungary. Further, the results show that trust enhances customer loyalty across all countries. Moreover, we find that firm size negatively moderates the trust–loyalty relationship in all the countries, with this link being not significant among larger firms in France and Hungary. The results have important theoretical and practical implications for international relationship marketing.

Customer Responses to Switching Costs: A Meta-Analytic Investigation of the Moderating Influence of Culture

Relationship marketing effectiveness varies across different markets, but prior research has provided limited evidence on how cultural variations relate to the effects of relationship variables such as switching costs. The authors develop and test a theoretical framework that explains how culture moderates the relationship between perceived switching costs and key consequences. The findings of a meta-analysis, based on 451 effect sizes collected in 25 countries, show that similar components that refer to a match between the value essence of Hofstede's cultural dimensions and the motivators that steer particular consequences explain how individualism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity moderate the impact of switching costs on word of mouth of customers and loyalty types. Furthermore, the economic development of a country explains when switching costs either reduce or increase switching of customers. The findings of this study support international companies in making decisions about the generation of switching costs in particular markets and the formation of international relationship marketing and referral programs.

International Relationship Marketing: Intellectual Foundations and Avenues for Further Research

Relationship marketing is a central and important tenet in marketing thought, and considerable research effort in the discipline has been devoted to examining various facets of relationship marketing, resulting in a large body of knowledge. In this study, the authors specifically focus on the international dimension of the relationship marketing literature and use citation and cocitation data to identify and unfold its intellectual foundations. The goal is to provide new and meaningful avenues for further research using the knowledge structure on which international relationship marketing stands. The examination of the literature spans more than 40 years, divided into three time periods that permit detection of longitudinal trends as well as meaningful visual representations of the cocitation data. Overall, the authors survey 29 key publications and identify 3,509 articles that include 230,684 citations, examining the data for 1972–1993, 1994–2003, and 2004–2013 to unfold research possibilities. Drawing on the analysis of emergent multidimensional scaling results, the authors discuss potential international relationship marketing research incorporating social relations and networking, new ventures, internationalization, trust and commitment, tacit knowledge, and cultural values.

International Relationship Marketing: Intellectual Foundations and Avenues for Further Research

International Relationship Marketing: Intellectual Foundations and Avenues for Further Research

The Role of Culture in International Relationship Marketing

International relationships are increasingly critical to business performance. Yet despite a recent surge in international research on relationship marketing (RM), it is unclear whether or how RM should be adapted across cultures. The authors adopt Hofstede's dimensions of culture to conduct a comprehensive, multivariate, metaregression analysis of 47,864 relationships across 170 studies, 36 countries, and six continents. To guide theory, they propose four tenets that parsimoniously capture the essence of culture's effects on RM. Study 1 affirms these tenets and emphasizes the importance of taking a fine-grained perspective to understand the role of culture in RM because of the high degree of heterogeneity across different cultural dimensions and RM linkages. For example, the magnitude of individualism's effect is 71% greater on RM than other cultural dimensions, whereas masculinity has almost no effect; however, accounting only for individualism ignores significant moderating effects of power distance and uncertainty avoidance dimensions. To guide managers, Study 2 adopts a country-level approach and reveals that RM is much more effective outside the United States such that relationships are 55% more effective, on average, for increasing business performance in Brazil, Russia, India, and China.

Get off to a Good Start. International Relationship Marketing in Emerging Markets

The growing importance of emerging markets requires us to understand how to create and manage good relationships with all stakeholders in these specific contexts. Within the framework of International Relationship Marketing, this research aims to verify the importance of trust, commitment and cultural orientation in the early stages of relationships within emerging markets.

A hierarchical model of the internal relationship marketing approach to nurse satisfaction and loyalty

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to empirically test a hierarchical model of the antecedents of nurse job satisfaction and loyalty based on the internal marketing literature. Specifically, the study aims to investigate the degree to which structural, social, and financial bonding activities influence nurses' job satisfaction and retention.Design/methodology/approachFollowing a review of the literature, the model was tested via a survey of 200 nurses from three US health care institutions.FindingsThe study resulted in key findings pertaining to the hierarchical nature of structural, social, and financial bonding activities and their impact on job satisfaction and loyalty.Practical implicationsService industries that depend on front‐line employees to deliver high quality services are provided with innovative suggestions to improve job satisfaction and loyalty of their employees by employing an internal marketing approach. The study provides organizations with empirical evidence regarding the synergistic effects of bonding activities.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first time a hierarchical/sequential model of the impact that relationship bonds have on satisfaction and retention of health care staff has been empirically tested. The findings that structural bonds have both a direct and indirect impact on job satisfaction and loyalty are of value for interested academics working in this area and are relevant for companies trying to improve job satisfaction and loyalty of their employees.

Impact of Relationship Marketing on Export Performance: Empirical Study in Vietnamese Garment Enterprises

Relationship marketing is a new concept for Vietnamese enterprises. Most often based on the marketing mix 4Ps model, relationship marketing focuses on the maintenance as well as the development of relations with existing clients for mutual benefits of enterprises and customers. This paper, through theoretical and empirical analyses, investigates the interactions between internationalization process, international relationship marketing activities and export performance of Vietnamese garment enterprises. Several important recommendations to improve the export performance of the studied enterprises are drawn from the research results.

The Effects of Internal Relationship Marketing on Superior Customer Relations as Competitive Performance: Evidence from Healthcare Industry

Strategies and strategic steps to create a competitive organization have been important parts of market success. Internal customers represent one of the leading elements in building competitiveness due to their direct roles in organizations’ market practices. Understanding the motivations of internal customers to deliver competitive performance in favor of organizational strategies is important for both executives and marketing scholars. The aim of this study is to explore the effects of internal relationship marketing (RM) on employees’ competitive performance through some psychological factors such as internal customer satisfaction, attitudes towards the organization, and emotional labor. This study is based on a survey conducted in Turkey in two seperate hospital chains. The data were collected from 169 doctors in 8 private hospitals in Istanbul and Bursa. A research model is proposed with nine postulated hypotheses and verified by empirical data.

Revisiting Relationship Marketing in Emerging Markets: The Case of Turkish Exportes

The purpose of this study is to explore relationship marketing in international B2B markets, with a specific focus on the impact of communication, cultural sensitivity, and shared values on relational exchange elements of commitment, trust, and export performance. The context of the study is chosen as Turkey since the number of studies on international relationship marketing in emerging market contexts needs to be increased. The model is tested upon 214 export market cases using structural equations modeling, and the findings confirm the relationships among the variables when the exporters originated from Turkey. The findings show that relationship marketing is a driver of business success and highlight the importance of cultural sensitivity as a significant driver of communication, trust, and commitment. The results imply that distributors should be sensitive to ways of doing business in Turkey and create common frames of reference with the Turkish exporters to inspire communication, trust, and commitment, all directly related to the market performance.

Using Internal Relationship Marketing Activities to Enhance Cross-Selling Performance in Services

Despite its pervasive use in practice, the academic literature offers little guidance on how to improve cross-selling performance. This study develops and tests a model that examines how management-initiated activities shape frontline employee responses that, in turn, lead to enhanced cross-selling performance. The study draws on social exchange theories, and the results confirm that managers can improve employee cross-selling performance by implementing internal relationship marketing activities (i.e., training and incentives) that enhance employee role clarity and self-efficacy and by providing incentives that increase employee motivation to cross-sell. Managerial implications and directions for future research are offered.

Internal Relationship Marketing: Korean Casino Employees’ Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment

This study examined the relationship between the following key variables: internal service quality, self-efficacy, job satisfaction, self-esteem, and organizational commitment. The study sought to identify ways to improve casino employees’ job satisfaction, further enhance employees’ organizational commitment, and possibly decrease job turnover intention. A total of 328 Korean casino dealers responded to a survey questionnaire developed to test the study model. Results showed that all internal service quality dimensions (i.e., training, communication, and perceived benefits) positively influenced job satisfaction, as did self-efficacy. Job satisfaction subsequently and concurrently influenced self-esteem and organizational commitment. Based on study findings, management can glean practical implications for enhancing the quality of effective communication strategies, career development programs, and empowerment.

Relationship marketing: case studies of personal experiences of eating out

This paper explains relationship marketing (RM) and discusses the benefits to customers and firms applying RM. Nine dimensions central to making RM successful are assessed. These are: trust, commitment, social bonding, empathy, experiences, fulfilment of promise, customer satisfaction, internal relationship marketing, and communication. The researcher then describes three personal experiences of eating out in three different restaurants and discusses good RM techniques applied deliberately or otherwise by these establishments.

Relationship marketing in an international context: a literature review

This study identifies and examines the extant literature in international relationship marketing. Twenty-four empirical studies that address various aspects of relationship marketing are identified. However, only eight studies were found to explore marketing relationships across national boundaries. The remainder combine multi-country data or examine relationship marketing in non-US settings. In this review, we report the nature and the findings of these studies and discuss their implications for future research and marketing practice. It is apparent from this review that, despite the increasing importance of international marketing, insufficient attention is being paid to exploring and theorizing relationship marketing in international contexts. Furthermore, limited effort in validating domestic findings in international settings circumscribes the universal applicability and managerial relevance of relationship marketing studies.