Managing interaction for learning and value creation in exchange relationships: A commentary

This paper is a commentary to the paper by Hammervoll published in this issue, which discusses the management of value creation in exchange relationships. Hammervoll's paper conceptualizes three particular types of interaction: unilateral supplier learning, unilateral supplier development and bilateral learning, and reports on a Norwegian survey to identify links between relationship governance, value creation initiatives and value creation. This commentary discusses the conceptualization and operationalization of these interaction types, identifying potential limitations and making suggestions for further research.     

As time goes by: Examining the paradox of stability and change in business networks

Stability and change may seem contradictory features but in business networks, they coexist [Hakansson H, Snehota, I. Developing Relationships in Business Networks. London, Routledge; 1995]. This article explores the paradox of the coexistence of stability and change in an Australian context. Previous research illustrated that stability over time can exist in specific business relationships [Sutton-Brady C, Donnan, M. Nexus nonsense or is it? Conference Proceedings, 19th Annual IMP Conference, Lugano, Switzerland September 2003; 2003]. This research study further investigates time as a proxy variable of stability [Halinen A, Tornroos, J-A. The meaning of time in the study of industrial buyer–seller relationships. In: Moller K, Wilson DT, editors. Business Marketing: An Interaction Approach. Norwell, Mass: Kluwer Academic Publishers; 1995.] and attempts to uncover other variables, which may influence the stability of the relationship. Given the exploratory nature of the research a case study approach was utilized to gain an in-depth understanding of the variables, which may contribute to the stability. This article further advances the concept of time as a proxy variable for stability while investigating what other variables may be crucial in understanding this concept. From analysis of the case studies, the findings show that other variables do play a role in determining the stability and change in the relationships and networks, these included location, product/service quality, technology, cooperativeness, adaptations and cost. The major contribution of this article is the reopening of discussions on time as a proxy variable for stability and attempts to broaden this to include other variables.     

Re-internationalisation: Exploration and conceptualisation

Re-internationalisation represents a research challenge for the internationalisation process and international entrepreneurship fields. Many companies withdraw from international operations, go through an international time-out period and later re-enter the international arena. Little is known about this process, and whether re-internationalisers behave differently from those starting out for the first time. The limited, sketchy evidence is considered and it is argued that some re-internationalisers will go into the re-entry process with a significant international heritage from previous activities, including relevant knowledge and networks, enabling faster re-entry and take-off. However, other firms will have exited in such negative circumstances that international re-entry initially is rejected as an option, and may be slow to respond to new international opportunities. Much depends on what happens during the international time-out period, particularly in terms of changes in management and/or ownership; the nature and strength of new re-entry influences; and how the re-entry process unfolds.     

The roles of multiple channels in predicting website visits and purchases: Engagers versus closers

In today’s online environment, consumers and sellers interact through multiple channels such as email, search engines, banner ads, affiliate websites and comparison-shopping websites. In this paper, we investigate whether knowing the history of channels the consumer has used until a point of time is predictive of their future visit patterns and purchase conversions. We propose a model in which future visits and conversions are stochastically dependent on the channels a consumer used on their path up to a point. Salient features of our model are: (1) visits by consumers are allowed to be clustered, which enables separation of their visits into intra- and inter-session components, (2) interaction effects between channels where prior visits and conversions from channels impact future inter-session visits, intra-session visits and conversions through a latent variable reflecting the cumulative weighted inventory of prior visits, (3) each channel attracts inter-session and intra-session visits differently, (4) each channel has different association with conversion conditional on a customer’s arrival to the website through that channel, (5) each channel engages customers differently (i.e., keeps the customer alive for a next session or for a next visit within a session), (6) the channel from which there was an arrival in the previous session can have an enhanced ability to generate an arrival for the same channel in the current session (channel persistence), and (7) parsimonious specification for high dimensionality in a low-velocity, sparse-data environment. We estimate the model on easy-to-collect first-party data obtained from an online retailer selling a durable good and find that information on the identities of channels and incorporation of inter- and intra-session visits have significant predictive power for future visitation and conversion behavior. We find that some channels act as “closers” and others as “engagers”—consumers arriving through the former are more likely to make a purchase, while consumers arriving through the latter, even if they do not make a purchase, are more likely to visit again in the future or extend the current session. We also find that some channels engage customers more than others, and that there are interaction effects between the channels visited. Our estimates show that the effect of prior inventory of visits is different from the immediate prior visit, and that visit and purchase probabilities can increase or decrease based on the history of channels used. We discuss several managerial implications of the model including using the predictions of the model to aid in selecting customers for marketing actions and using the model to evaluate a policy change regarding the obscuring of channel information.     

A commentary essay on “Resources prospectively: How actors mobilize resources in business settings”

This commentary essay explores the topic of mobilizing resources and specifically addresses the article “Resources prospectively: How actors mobilize resources in business settings” (Finch et al., in this issue). This article views access to resources as the foundation for interaction between firms and as mediated via developing business relationships. The article by Finch, Wagner and Hynes adds insights into this particular context by investigating the role of the individual in mobilizing resources and initiating a discussion on how resources are created.     

On the Causes and Effects of Exchange Rate Volatility on Economic Growth: Evidence from Ghana

What drives exchange rate volatility, and what are the effects of fluctuations in the exchange rate on economic growth in Ghana? These questions are the subject matter of this study. The results showed that while shocks to the exchange rate are mean reverting, misalignments tend to correct very sluggishly, with painful consequences in the short run as economic agents recalibrate their consumption and investment choices. About three quarters of shocks to the real exchange rate are self-driven, and the remaining one quarter or so is attributed to factors such as government expenditure and money supply growth, terms of trade and output shocks. Excessive volatility is found to be detrimental to economic growth; however, this is only up to a point as growth-enhancing effect can also emanate from innovation, and more efficient resource allocation.     

Relational Resources in Interorganizational Exchange: The Effects of Trade Equity and Brand Equity

This research examines the effects of two key relational resources in relationships between retailers and national brand manufacturers. We introduce the new concept of trade equity, defined here as the value that accrues to a firm from being known in a trading network as a trustworthy trading partner, to explore the relational resources that are inherent in a firm’s ties with trading partners. We consider brand equity to represent relational resources that are located in a firm’s relational ties with end consumers. Based on data collected in a survey of 797 home appliance retailers, results show that a manufacturer’s trade equity and brand equity have differential effects on the retailer’s dependence and commitment to the manufacturer. Findings show that a manufacturer’s brand equity strengthens the effect of its trade equity on the retailer’s dependence and weakens the effect on the retailer’s commitment.     

A Synthesis of the Effects of Exchange Rate Volatility on International Trade: A Meta-Regression Analysis

ABSTRACT

This article surveys literature that investigates the effects of exchange rate volatility on international trade. We perform meta-regression analysis on 41 studies with 807 estimates. We show that the empirical works exhibit substantial publication selection and show a significant genuine exchange rate volatility effect on trade flows after correction of publication bias. In addition, the literature reveals a pronounced heterogeneity with respect to model specifications, samples, time horizons, and countries’ characteristics. These findings are supported by separate assessment of primary studies with, respectively, total exports and sectoral exports as the dependent variable.     

Exchange Rate Effects on Domestic Prices in Bulgaria and Poland: Progress in Making Markets?

The economic liberalization which has occurred in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) over the past 15 years generally has involved establishing domestic markets and privatizing state‐owned firms, both with the intention of integrating the CEE economies into the global economy and allowing the benefits of competition to be realized. We explore how well this has been accomplished in two countries, Poland and Bulgaria, and the domestic conditions that contribute to its accomplishment. The sensitivity of domestic markets to international shocks, as reflected in exchange rate effects on domestic prices, may be viewed as an indicator of how integrated a country’s markets are into the global economy, and a proxy for competition in those markets. In explaining variation in exchange‐rate pass‐through, we examine the impact of market structure, economic liberalization and infrastructure as factors contributing to the development of competitive markets. We find that although integration into global markets can significantly increase market competitiveness, domestic factors also play a significant role.     

Network configuration and innovation success: An empirical analysis in German high-tech industries

Based on the assumption that intensity and structure are the most important dimensions of a firm's technological network, the authors identity seven different types of technology-oriented network configurations. Drawing upon a database of 321 high-tech companies, they show that innovation success is significantly correlated with a firm's technological network. Product and process innovations are shown to demand different types of network configurations.     

Comment on “Resource interaction in inter-organisational networks: Foundations, comparison, and a research agenda”

This commentary discusses the article by Baraldi, Gressetvold and Harrison (this issue), which reviews the foundations and implications of the resource interaction perspective. The discussion stresses the Penrosean legacy of this perspective but also its potential to expand the Penrosean framework beyond intraorganisational applications, that is, to an understanding of markets and networks.     

Religiosity,Relationships and Consumption: A Study of Church Going in Ireland

Business‐to‐consumer relationships have been over‐conceptualised, but poorly understood in terms of the social factors that motivate or inhibit the development of such relationships. This paper seeks to integrate three streams of literature, buyer‐seller relationships, social relationships, and religiosity and develops a framework in which declining levels of participation in organised religion may be conceptualised as a failing relationship, which has been partially superseded by commercial relationships. This study uses an existential phenomenological approach to explore the complementarity or substitutability of individuals' relationships based on religion with those based on consumption. A survey of a sample of active and lapsed churchgoers in Ireland found mixed evidence of commercial relationships acting as a substitute for traditional religious‐based relationships.     

我国外贸竞争力、外国直接投资与实际汇率关系的实证研究

本文基于2005年7月至2008年6月我国外贸竞争力、实际利用外国直接投资与实际汇率的月度数据实证研究了人民币汇率形成机制改革以来我国外贸竞争力、外国直接投资与实际汇率之间的关系,发现三者之间存在一个协整关系,然而只有外贸竞争力是实际汇率的格兰杰原因,实际汇率是实际利用外国直接投资流量水平的格兰杰原因。但是,我国的引资政策和汇率形成机制未能有效提高外贸竞争力,而我国外贸竞争力并不影响实际利用外资的水平,实际利用外资水平也不影响实际汇率的变动。最后根据实证研究结果提出政策建议。     

Effects of low price guarantees on consumer post-purchase search intention: The moderating roles of value consciousness and penalty level

While past research has focused on pre-purchase effects of low price guarantee (LPG), the present paper examines probable post-purchase consequences of such signals. Results of an experiment indicate that in an effort to enhance value from a purchase, consumers are more likely to engage in post-purchase search for lower prices when a purchase is made under an LPG. The experiment also indicates that presence of an LPG encourages post-purchase search intention only for consumers who are highly motivated to enhance value. Furthermore, it is seen that an LPG that offers higher refund leads to higher post-purchase search intention and this effect is also stronger for consumers with high concerns for enhancing value. The paper discusses several important implications of these findings for signaling theory and LPG-related retailing strategy.     

汇率、贸易开放度与经济增长:短期波动与长期均衡——基于自回归分布滞后模型的经验研究

文章通过构建自回归分布滞后模型研究了汇率波动情况下贸易开放度与经济增长的长期关系,然后建立误差修正模型对两者之间的短期关系进行了刻画,重点考察了1978-2008年我国贸易开放度与经济增长在不同阶段的影响机制。经验分析结果表明,外商直接投资和贸易开放度对经济增长的短期效应大于长期效应;而人民币实际汇率对于经济增长的效应,则是长期效应大于短期效应。当外商直接投资、贸易开放度和人民币实际汇率造成的短期波动偏离长期的均衡时,经济增长能够通过自动调整趋于稳定。     

Owner Commitment and Relational Governance in the Privately-Held Firm: An Empirical Study

This paper examines owner commitment and relational governance in the privately-held firm. The proposed model goes beyond agency theory to include research on organization commitment and organization citizenship behaviors, as well as stewardship theory, organizational social capital theory, social identity theory and social exchange theory. Results support predictions of stewardship theory and organizational social capital theory that owner commitment and firm performance are positively related.      

外汇储备、人民币汇率与货币错配:基于SSM的实证分析

本文选取1985-2009年我国货币错配指数、外汇储备总额、人民币实际有效汇率和人民币汇率制度作为研究样本,构建状态空间模型(SSM)。由此得出结论:人民币汇率是影响我国货币错配程度的最主要因素;人民币汇率、汇率制度以及外汇储备额均为货币错配指数的格兰杰原因;浮动汇率制度更能缓解货币错配风险。     

The impact of parallel market exchange rate volatility and oil exports on real GDP in Syria: Evidence from the ARDL approach

This paper investigates the impact of parallel market exchange rate volatility and trade on real GDP and real GDP growth in the Syrian economy over the period of 1990Q1–2010Q4. To this end, we first construct a parallel market exchange rate volatility indicator. Second, we estimate an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model where we include our indicator of volatility among the main determinants of real GDP. Our findings imply that real GDP can be explained by three main variables: parallel market exchange rate, money supply, and oil exports. The long-run equilibrium reveals that parallel market exchange rate volatility has a negative impact on real GDP compared to the positive impact of money supply and oil exports. In contrast, the short-run impact of parallel market exchange rate volatility on real GDP growth is positive and very small counter to the long-run impact. Furthermore, the coefficient of the error correction term of the estimated ARDL model indicates that real GDP deviation from the equilibrium level will be corrected by about 10% after each quarter.     

Foreign investors in Taiwan: Their roles and government perspectives

This article describes the financial liberalization process in Taiwan and evaluates the effects of foreign institutional investors on Taiwan's stock market. Gradual liberalization allowed Taiwan to reap the benefits while reducing the harmful impacts of foreign participation during the Asian financial crisis. Overall, the liberalization policies proved to be effective as the stock market has become more stable and efficient. Foreign institutional investors contribute significant growth to the Taiwan stock market, and will continue to play a sizeable role in its future development.     

Producer services: growth and roles in long-term economic development

This paper deals with the varying roles of producer services in economic transformation during the last 30 years in Sweden, and analyses unique longitudinal data on eight service sectors. The theoretical background for the analysis is inspired by the technology shift thesis of economic historians, and we show that the renewal and transformation of producer services has taken place later than for the manufacturing sector. The importance of producer services in national growth increased enormously towards the end of the period, but we also note that this growth has been accompanied by a divergence in growth between service sectors.