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Exporter-importer business relationships: Past empirical research and future directions

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  • Aykol, Bilge
  • Leonidou, Leonidas C.

Abstract

We present a systematic and comprehensive review of the extant empirical literature on exporter-importer business relationships during the period 1975–2017. The review covers 196 articles published in academic journals, which were content-analyzed with their theoretical background, research design, scope of research, sampling/data collection methods, data analysis, and thematic areas covered. Our findings reveal that this line of research is characterized by: (a) a sound theoretical foundation, the most frequent theories being the behavioral paradigm, transaction cost economics, and relational exchange theory; (b) heavy emphasis on formalized, statistical, cross-sectional, and causal research designs; (c) focus on single-country studies, conducted mainly in Europe, Asia, and North America; (d) a tendency to employ probabilistic samples, of a relatively large size; (e) an adoption of relatively sophisticated methods to purify and analyze data collected; and (f) an emphasis on topics relating to behavioral and structural relational dimensions, followed by external and internal influences. Guidelines for researchers focusing on exporter-importer relationships are provided, as well as suggestions for potential new research topics.

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  • Aykol, Bilge & Leonidou, Leonidas C., 2018. "Exporter-importer business relationships: Past empirical research and future directions," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(5), pages 1007-1021.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:iburev:v:27:y:2018:i:5:p:1007-1021
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ibusrev.2018.03.001
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    6. Leonidas C. Leonidou & Bilge Aykol & Jorma Larimo & Lida Kyrgidou & Paul Christodoulides, 2021. "Enhancing International Buyer-Seller Relationship Quality and Long-Term Orientation Using Emotional Intelligence: The Moderating Role of Foreign Culture," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 61(3), pages 365-402, June.
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