Value creation is the purpose and end result of business relationships. However, there has been little research on the sources of relationship value in cross-border interfirm relationships. This is surprising given that value creation and delivery is arguably a more complex and difficult task in international markets than in domestic ones due to the differences in culture, language, management styles, and economic, social, and legal systems between exchange partners. This study investigates the drivers of relationship value in manufacturer–foreign distributor relationships. The focus is on distributor-perceived relationship value because it is typically the customer firm the final arbiter of value. The study develops a research model that consists of four different groups of predictors of relationship value: (1) exporter capabilities (i.e., marketing and technological); (2) importer capabilities (i.e., market-sensing and customer relationship management); (3) relational factors (i.e., relationship learning and cultural compatibility); and (4) market factors (i.e., competitive intensity and market growth). The identification and specification of these prognostic factors of relationship value formation was based on the review of extant literature and exploratory interviews with import and export managers. The study employs partial least squares-structural equation modeling to test model relationships. The results indicate that exporter marketing and technological capabilities, importer market-sensing and customer relationship management capabilities, relationship learning, cultural compatibility, and market growth are potent determinants of relationship value in manufacturer–foreign distributor relationships, while competitive intensity has no detectable effect. Several managerial implications are extracted from the study, as well as suggestions for future research.

An extensive body of research on the effects of the country-of-origin (COO) on the purchase of foreign brands has emerged in the international marketing stream. Although previous studies have enhanced the understanding of the effects of the COO on the purchase of foreign brands, they provide limited insight into organizational buyers’ behavior on foreign brands. The objective of this research is to provide an understanding of the effects of the COO on overseas distributors’ behavior in international marketing channels. Integrating the theory of planned behavior and the concepts of country-induced biases, the current study develops an empirically testable model that explains and predicts overseas distributors’ behavior in international marketing channels. The model identifies attitude toward foreign brands, social valuation of the origin of brands, and perceived behavioral control as the factors affecting overseas distributors’ intention to place foreign brands. The model also incorporates the factors of country-induced biases—buyer animosity and perceived risk to the origin of manufacture as the antecedents of attitude toward foreign brands. The model is tested using the primary data drawn from a survey. Findings from an examination of 103 distributors in America reveal that these country-induced biases affect the intention to place foreign brands, in the manner of the hypotheses, through the attitude toward foreign brands. Finally, the present study discusses implications for theory and practice, indicates limitations, and concludes with some suggestions for future research.

Social capital plays a positive role on corporate business performance and business capacity. The paper utilizes corporate social capital theory to discuss marketing channels of sports goods industry, establishes an influence model of corporate social capital for marketing channels of sports goods industry, and elaborates influences of marketing channel design, channel conflict resolution and channel performance management from three aspects, including structure dimension, relational dimension, and cognitive dimension of corporate social capital. Based on analyzing these influence factors, the paper proposes a countermeasure of utilizing network structure and common belief to expand marketing channels and optimize marketing network; using trust, normative mechanism and system to solve channel conflicts; and making use of trust, cooperation, reciprocal norms and external social network to improve market performance.