Betrayal in international buyer-seller relationships: Its drivers and performance implications

Leonidou L. C., Aykol B., Fotiadis T. A., Christodoulides P., Zeriti A.

JOURNAL OF WORLD BUSINESS, cilt.52, sa.1, ss.28-44, 2017 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 52 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2017
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.jwb.2016.10.007
  • Dergi Adı: JOURNAL OF WORLD BUSINESS
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.28-44
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Betrayal, Exporter-importer relationships, Relational performance, Exporting, Social exchange theory, MARKETING CHANNEL RELATIONSHIPS, IMPORTER RELATIONSHIP QUALITY, TRANSACTION COST-ANALYSIS, BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS, PSYCHIC DISTANCE, PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTRACT, JOINT VENTURES, ENVIRONMENTAL UNCERTAINTY, SUPPLIER RELATIONSHIPS, STRATEGIC ALLIANCES
  • Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Although betrayal is a common phenomenon in inter-organizational cross-border relationships, the pertinent literature has remained relatively silent as regards its examination. However, the effects of betrayal are both long-lasting and destructive, and therefore an in-depth investigation of the factors that are driving it, as well as its performance outcomes, is considered necessary. Using a sample of 262 exporters, we confirm that betrayal in their relationships with foreign buyers is significantly and positively affected by relational uncertainty, opportunism, inter-partner incompatibility, relational distance, and conflict. The harmful effect of most of these factors on betrayal becomes stronger in the case of high foreign environmental uncertainty and high foreign market dynamism. The importer's betrayal actions are in turn responsible for reducing relational performance. In fact, this negative association between importer's betrayal and relational performance is more evident in relationships characterized by low dependence levels and low degrees of tolerance by the exporter. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.