IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/iburev/v19y2010i6p548-561.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The impact of institutional impediments and information and knowledge exchange on SMEs' investments in international business relationships

Author

Listed:
  • Jonsson, Sara
  • Lindbergh, Jessica

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of institutional impediments and of knowledge and information exchange in international business relationships on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) specific investments in international business relationships and the outcome of such investments on the performance of SMEs. Using a sample of 255 internationalising SMEs, we develop and test three hypotheses with the linear structural relations (LISREL) model. The analysis shows that institutional impediments and the exchange of knowledge and information in business relationships lead to increased relationship specific investments (RSIs). Furthermore, such investment results in increased performance for the internationalising SME. Research commonly uses micro or macro properties of institutions to explain how institutional differences affect international business; however, limited research has been devoted to investigate how institutional differences, experienced through interaction in business relationships, affect the business relationship. This paper helps to close this gap by showing the effects of institutional differences on a relational level.

Suggested Citation

  • Jonsson, Sara & Lindbergh, Jessica, 2010. "The impact of institutional impediments and information and knowledge exchange on SMEs' investments in international business relationships," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 19(6), pages 548-561, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:iburev:v:19:y:2010:i:6:p:548-561
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969593110000491
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alchian, Armen A & Demsetz, Harold, 1972. "Production , Information Costs, and Economic Organization," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 62(5), pages 777-795, December.
    2. Jeffrey H. Dyer, 1997. "Effective interim collaboration: how firms minimize transaction costs and maximise transaction value," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(7), pages 535-556, August.
    3. Christine M. Beckman & Pamela R. Haunschild & Damon J. Phillips, 2004. "Friends or Strangers? Firm-Specific Uncertainty, Market Uncertainty, and Network Partner Selection," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 15(3), pages 259-275, June.
    4. Bruce Kogut & Harbir Singh, 1988. "The Effect of National Culture on the Choice of Entry Mode," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 19(3), pages 411-432, September.
    5. Jarillo, J. Carlos, 1989. "Entrepreneurship and growth: the strategic use of external resources," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 4(2), pages 133-147, March.
    6. Yoshiro Miwa & J. Mark Ramseyer, 2000. "Rethinking Relationship-Specific Investments: Subcontracting in the Japanese Automobile Industry," CIRJE F-Series CIRJE-F-70, CIRJE, Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo.
    7. McDougall, Patricia Phillips & Oviatt, Benjamin M., 1996. "New venture internationalization, strategic change, and performance: A follow-up study," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 11(1), pages 23-40, January.
    8. S. Tamer Cavusgil, 1984. "Organizational Characteristics Associated With Export Activity," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(1), pages 3-22, January.
    9. Oded Shenkar, 2001. "Cultural Distance Revisited: Towards a More Rigorous Conceptualization and Measurement of Cultural Differences," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 32(3), pages 519-535, September.
    10. G Tomas M Hult & David J Ketchen & David A Griffith & Brian R Chabowski & Mary K Hamman & Bernadine Johnson Dykes & Wesley A Pollitte & S Tamer Cavusgil, 2008. "An assessment of the measurement of performance in international business research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 39(6), pages 1064-1080, September.
    11. Klein, Benjamin & Crawford, Robert G & Alchian, Armen A, 1978. "Vertical Integration, Appropriable Rents, and the Competitive Contracting Process," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 21(2), pages 297-326, October.
    12. Desirée Blankenburg Holm & Kent Eriksson & Jan Johanson, 1996. "Business Networks and Cooperation in International Business Relationships," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 27(5), pages 1033-1053, December.
    13. Peter W Liesch & Gary A Knight, 1999. "Information Internalization and Hurdle Rates in Small and Medium Enterprise Internationalization," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 30(2), pages 383-394, June.
    14. Tuppura, Anni & Saarenketo, Sami & Puumalainen, Kaisu & Jantunen, Ari & Kyläheiko, Kalevi, 2008. "Linking knowledge, entry timing and internationalization strategy," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 17(4), pages 473-487, August.
    15. Lianxi Zhou & Wei-ping Wu & Xueming Luo, 2007. "Internationalization and the performance of born-global SMEs: the mediating role of social networks," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(4), pages 673-690, July.
    16. Asanuma, Banri, 1989. "Manufacturer-supplier relationships in Japan and the concept of relation-specific skill," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 3(1), pages 1-30, March.
    17. McCann, Joseph E., 1991. "Patterns of growth, competitive technology, and financial strategies in young ventures," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 6(3), pages 189-208, May.
    18. Douglass C. North, 1991. "Institutions," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 5(1), pages 97-112, Winter.
    19. Joskow, Paul L, 1987. "Contract Duration and Relationship-Specific Investments: Empirical Evidence from Coal Markets," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 77(1), pages 168-185, March.
    20. Sharma, D. Deo & Blomstermo, Anders, 2003. "The internationalization process of Born Globals: a network view," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 12(6), pages 739-753, December.
    21. Jukka Hohenthal & Jessica Lindbergh, 2005. "International Experience and the Recognition of Business Opportunities in Foreign Markets — A Study of SME’s International Experiences and Choice of Location," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Pervez Ghauri & Amjad Hadjikhani & Jan Johanson (ed.), Managing Opportunity Development in Business Networks, chapter 7, pages 146-163, Palgrave Macmillan.
    22. Haahti, Antti & Madupu, Vivekananda & Yavas, Ugur & Babakus, Emin, 2005. "Cooperative strategy, knowledge intensity and export performance of small and medium sized enterprises," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 124-138, May.
    23. M Krishna Erramilli, 1991. "The Experience Factor in Foreign Market Entry Behavior of Service Firms," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 22(3), pages 479-501, September.
    24. Coviello, Nicole & Munro, Hugh, 1997. "Network relationships and the internationalisation process of small software firms," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 6(4), pages 361-386, August.
    25. Nes, Erik B. & Solberg, Carl Arthur & Silkoset, Ragnhild, 2007. "The impact of national culture and communication on exporter-distributor relations and on export performance," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 16(4), pages 405-424, August.
    26. Sylvie Chetty & Kent Eriksson & Jessica Lindbergh, 2006. "The effect of specificity of experience on a firm's perceived importance of institutional knowledge in an ongoing business," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 37(5), pages 699-712, September.
    27. Kirti Sawhney Celly & Robert E Spekman & John W Kamauff, 1999. "Technological Uncertainty, Buyer Preferences and Supplier Assurances: An Examination of Pacific Rim Purchasing Arrangements," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 30(2), pages 297-316, June.
    28. Jan Johanson & Jan-Erik Vahlne, 1977. "The Internationalization Process of the Firm—A Model of Knowledge Development and Increasing Foreign Market Commitments," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 8(1), pages 23-32, March.
    29. Brian Toyne, 1989. "International Exchange: A Foundation for Theory Building in International Business," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 20(1), pages 1-17, March.
    30. Chetty, S. & Eriksson, K., 2002. "Mutual commitment and experiential knowledge in mature international business relationship," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 11(3), pages 305-324, June.
    31. Hadley, Richard D. & Wilson, Heather I. M., 2003. "The network model of internationalisation and experiential knowledge," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 12(6), pages 697-717, December.
    32. Jane W. Lu & Paul W. Beamish, 2001. "The internationalization and performance of SMEs," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(6‐7), pages 565-586, June.
    33. Douglass C. North, 2005. "Introduction to Understanding the Process of Economic Change," Introductory Chapters, in: Understanding the Process of Economic Change, Princeton University Press.
    34. Chetty, Sylvie & Blankenburg Holm, Desiree, 2000. "Internationalisation of small to medium-sized manufacturing firms: a network approach," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 9(1), pages 77-93, February.
    35. Kent Eriksson & Jan Johanson & Anders Majkgård & D Deo Sharma, 1997. "Experimental Knowledge and Costs in the Internationalization Process," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 28(2), pages 337-360, June.
    36. Benjamin M Oviatt & Patricia Phillips McDougall, 1994. "Toward a Theory of International New ventures," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 25(1), pages 45-64, March.
    37. Blankenburg Holm, Desirée & Eriksson, Kent, 2000. "The character of bridgehead relationships," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 9(2), pages 191-210, April.
    38. Ernst Verwaal & Bas Donkers, 2002. "Firm Size and Export Intensity: Solving an Empirical Puzzle," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 33(3), pages 603-613, September.
    39. Desirée Blankenburg Holm & Kent Eriksson & Jan Johanson, 1996. "Business Networks and Cooperation in International Business Relationships," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 27(4), pages 1033-1053, December.
    40. James Richardson, 1993. "Parallel sourcing and supplier performance in the Japanese automobile industry," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(5), pages 339-350, July.
    41. Francis, John & Mukherji, Ananda & Mukherji, Jyotsna, 2009. "Examining relational and resource influences on the performance of border region SMEs," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 331-343, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sara Melén Hånell & Emilia Rovira Nordman & Daniel Tolstoy, 2017. "New product development in foreign customer relationships: a study of international SMEs," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(7-8), pages 715-734, August.
    2. Child, John & Karmowska, Joanna & Shenkar, Oded, 2022. "The role of context in SME internationalization – A review," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 57(1).
    3. Angelika Löfgren, 2014. "International network management for the purpose of host market expansion: The mediating effect of co-innovation in the networks of SMEs," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 12(2), pages 162-182, June.
    4. David B. Audretsch & Christina Guenther, 2023. "SME research: SMEs’ internationalization and collaborative innovation as two central topics in the field," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 93(6), pages 1213-1229, August.
    5. Fan, Di & Zhu, Cherrie Jiuhua & Nyland, Chris, 2012. "Factors affecting global integration of Chinese multinationals in Australia: A qualitative analysis," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 13-26.
    6. Gunawan, Janti & Rose, Elizabeth L., 2014. "Absorptive capacity development in Indonesian exporting firms: How do institutions matter?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 45-54.
    7. Nordman, Emilia Rovira & Tolstoy, Daniel, 2014. "Does relationship psychic distance matter for the learning processes of internationalizing SMEs?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 30-37.
    8. Hernández, Virginia & Nieto, María Jesús, 2016. "Inward–outward connections and their impact on firm growth," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 296-306.
    9. De Clercq, Dirk & Meuleman, Miguel & Wright, Mike, 2012. "A cross-country investigation of micro-angel investment activity: The roles of new business opportunities and institutions," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 117-129.
    10. Costa e Silva, Susana & Bradley, Frank & Sousa, Carlos M.P., 2012. "Empirical test of the trust–performance link in an international alliances context," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 293-306.
    11. Eriksson, Kent & Fjeldstad, Øystein & Jonsson, Sara, 2017. "Transaction services and SME internationalization: The effect of home and host country bank relationships on international investment and growth," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 130-144.
    12. Lindstrand, Angelika & Melén, Sara & Nordman, Emilia Rovira, 2011. "Turning social capital into business: A study of the internationalization of biotech SMEs," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(2), pages 194-212, April.
    13. Eriksson, Kent & Jonsson, Sara & Lindbergh, Jessica & Lindstrand, Angelika, 2014. "Modeling firm specific internationalization risk: An application to banks’ risk assessment in lending to firms that do international business," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(6), pages 1074-1085.
    14. Weber, Clarissa E. & Chahabadi, Dominik & Maurer, Indre, 2020. "Antecedents and performance effect of managerial misperception of institutional differences," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(1).
    15. Svendsen, Mons Freng & Haugland, Sven A., 2011. "Host country institutional pressures and cross-border relationship governance," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 324-337, June.
    16. Nordman, Emilia Rovira & Tolstoy, Daniel, 2016. "The impact of opportunity connectedness on innovation in SMEs’ foreign-market relationships," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 57, pages 47-57.
    17. Adomako, Samuel & Frimpong, Kwabena & Danso, Albert & Amankwah-Amoah, Joseph & Uddin, Moshfique & Kesse, Kwabena, 2020. "Home country institutional impediments and international expansion of developing country SMEs," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(5).
    18. Tengku Adil Tengku Izhar & Torab Torabi, 2021. "Ontology Data Dependency Analysis for Organizational Goals Achievement," Business Management and Strategy, Macrothink Institute, vol. 12(1), pages 160-182, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Eriksson, Kent & Jonsson, Sara & Lindbergh, Jessica & Lindstrand, Angelika, 2014. "Modeling firm specific internationalization risk: An application to banks’ risk assessment in lending to firms that do international business," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(6), pages 1074-1085.
    2. Johanson, Martin & Martín Martín, Oscar, 2015. "The incremental expansion of Born Internationals: A comparison of new and old Born Internationals," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(3), pages 476-496.
    3. Blomstermo, Anders & Eriksson, Kent & Lindstrand, Angelika & Sharma, D. Deo, 2004. "The perceived usefulness of network experiential knowledge in the internationalizing firm," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 10(3), pages 355-373.
    4. Nordman, Emilia Rovira & Tolstoy, Daniel, 2014. "Does relationship psychic distance matter for the learning processes of internationalizing SMEs?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 30-37.
    5. Kotler, Philip & Manrai, Lalita A. & Lascu, Dana-Nicoleta & Manrai, Ajay K., 2019. "Influence of country and company characteristics on international business decisions: A review, conceptual model, and propositions," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 482-498.
    6. Eriksson, Kent & Chetty, Sylvie, 2003. "The effect of experience and absorptive capacity on foreign market knowledge," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 12(6), pages 673-695, December.
    7. Zhou, Lianxi, 2007. "The effects of entrepreneurial proclivity and foreign market knowledge on early internationalization," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 281-293, September.
    8. Vissak, Tiia & Francioni, Barbara & Freeman, Susan, 2020. "Foreign market entries, exits and re-entries: The role of knowledge, network relationships and decision-making logic," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(1).
    9. Dzikowski, Piotr, 2018. "A bibliometric analysis of born global firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 281-294.
    10. Knight, Gary A. & Liesch, Peter W., 2016. "Internationalization: From incremental to born global," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 93-102.
    11. Hohenthal, Jukka & Johanson, Jan & Johanson, Martin, 2014. "Network knowledge and business-relationship value in the foreign market," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 4-19.
    12. Lindstrand, Angelika & Hånell, Sara Melén, 2017. "International and market-specific social capital effects on international opportunity exploitation in the internationalization process," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(5), pages 653-663.
    13. Jan Johanson & Martin Johanson, 2021. "Speed and synchronization in foreign market network entry: A note on the revisited Uppsala model," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 52(8), pages 1628-1645, October.
    14. Martín Martín, Oscar & Chetty, Sylvie & Bai, Wensong, 2022. "Foreign market entry knowledge and international performance: The mediating role of international market selection and network capability," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 57(2).
    15. Montoro-Sanchez, Angeles & Diez-Vial, Isabel & Belso-Martinez, Jose Antonio, 2018. "The evolution of the domestic network configuration as a driver of international relationships in SMEs," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 727-736.
    16. Park, Sarah & LiPuma, Joseph A., 2020. "New venture internationalization: The role of venture capital types and reputation," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(1).
    17. Saleh, M. Abu & Ali, M. Yunus & Mavondo, Felix T., 2014. "Drivers of importer trust and commitment: Evidence from a developing country," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(12), pages 2523-2530.
    18. Ripollés, Maria & Blesa, Andreu, 2012. "International new ventures as “small multinationals”: The importance of marketing capabilities," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 277-287.
    19. Bai, Wensong & Holmström-Lind, Christine & Johanson, Martin, 2018. "Leveraging networks, capabilities and opportunities for international success: A study on returnee entrepreneurial ventures," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 51-62.
    20. Morais, Flávio & Ferreira, João J., 2020. "SME internationalisation process: Key issues and contributions, existing gaps and the future research agenda," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 62-77.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:iburev:v:19:y:2010:i:6:p:548-561. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/133/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.