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Unbundling the effect of E-I relationship termination on export performance: The moderating role of export experience

Author

Listed:
  • Alfredo D'Angelo
  • Marco Grazzi
  • Le Li
  • Daniele Moschella

Abstract

The termination of an exporter-importer (E-I) relationship could challenge the company's export process. What are the consequences on the company's export performance in the foreign country? What role does export experience play in this relationship? The paper explores the overlooked phenomenon of E-I relationship termination and provides robust empirical evidence that the event has negative consequences on the firm's export performance in the foreign country. Despite this unsurprising, yet previously untested finding, our study shows a second important remark i.e., if the exporting firm has prior export experience, it is then able to cope with the negative effect of the termination event. Moreover, we find that the positive effect of prior export experience is only present in the early years of exporting. The results are based on a large longitudinal sample of French firms exporting to foreign buyers in EU countries. Findings are discussed along an in-depth case study to enhance robustness and comprehensiveness.

Suggested Citation

  • Alfredo D'Angelo & Marco Grazzi & Le Li & Daniele Moschella, 2025. "Unbundling the effect of E-I relationship termination on export performance: The moderating role of export experience," LEM Papers Series 2025/34, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    • Handle: RePEc:ssa:lemwps:2025/34
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