Journal of International Marketing

Rapid global economic development and liberalization have increased the motivation and opportunities for firms to enter into international joint venture (IJV) agreements. Numerous studies in the international marketing literature have examined the impact of international partners’ cultural differences on IJV longevity; however, results are inconclusive, potentially due to limitations in the methods used. While this study examines the varied impact of cultural differences on IJV longevity based on the IJV’s age, it uses quantile regression, enabling the detection of varying effects’ strengths across the dependent variable’s entire distribution. The results demonstrate variations in the role of cultural differences across individual cultural dimensions as well as variations in the patterns of association between cultural differences and IJV longevity dependent on the IJV’s age. Implications for theory and the practice of international marketing are offered as well as potential applications of this study’s methodological approach.

The literature on consumer choice between global and local brands is focused on sales-based measures of brand globalness (BG). When managers need to establish an effective social media campaign to raise awareness of their brands’ activities on social media, the literature focus may not provide clear guidance on how such measures can be applied to social media. This research contributes to global brand research by combining the literature streams on consumer social media engagement and global branding marketing strategies. First, to provide a managerial tool for this task, the authors propose two novel measures, BG and country brand popularity (CBP), based on consumers’ brand activities on social media. Using these measures, the authors hypothesize that CBP is influenced by cultural, social, and economic factors, which is motivated by motivation–opportunity–ability theory. Using Facebook data covering the top 100 brands that operate across 50 countries in each of 51 industries, they show that CBP is influenced by BG and cultural, social, and economic characteristics.

Although prior research is congested with constructs intended to capture consumers’ dispositions toward globalization and global/local products, their effects appear to replicate with difficulty, and little is known about the underlying theoretical mechanisms. This investigation revisits the relationship between prominent consumer dispositions (consumer ethnocentrism, cosmopolitanism, global/local identity, globalization attitude) and perceived brand globalness as determinants of consumer responses to global brands. Drawing on selective perception and social identity theories, the authors consider several theory-based model specifications that reflect alternative mechanisms through which key consumer dispositions relate to brand globalness and affect important brand-related outcomes. By employing a flexible model that simultaneously accounts for moderating, mediating, conditional, and direct effects, we empirically test these rival model specifications. A meta-analysis of 264 effect sizes obtained from 13 studies with 23 unique data sets and a total sample of 1,410 consumers raises concerns regarding the (potentially overstated) utility of consumer dispositions for explaining consumer responses to global brands. It also reveals a need for further conceptual contemplation of their function in international consumer research and managerial practice.

Despite the critical importance of emotional intelligence in effectively interacting with other people, its role has been overlooked in scholarly research on cross-border interorganizational relationships. Drawing on emotion regulation theory, the authors propose a model that conceptualizes links among exporters’ emotional intelligence, key behavioral dimensions characterizing the atmosphere of the relationship with import buyers, and the resulting relational performance. They test the model with data collected from 262 Greek exporters using structural equation modeling. The results indicate that higher levels of exporter emotional intelligence enhance communication and social bonding with the importer while diminishing distance and conflict in their working relationship. Relational performance is positively influenced by communication and social bonding but negatively affected by distance and conflict. The results also reveal the moderating effect of both opportunism and interpartner incompatibility on the association between the exporter’s emotional intelligence and the behavioral atmosphere of the relationship with import buyers.

Prior research indicates the importance of new product launches across international markets for firm performance. However, little is known about if, and how, new product launches in international markets drive firm financial value. This study examines the drivers of stock market reactions to a new product introduction in a foreign country, along with the moderating impact of cultural context. Using a sample of 1,154 products in 34 product categories launched in 48 countries between 2011 and 2018, the authors investigate how product characteristics such as product innovativeness and product type affect abnormal stock reactions to a new product launch event. Furthermore, the authors assess the role of the national culture by considering the individualism, uncertainty avoidance, and indulgence characteristics of the country where the new product is launched. Results of a mixed-effects estimation model indicate that product launches in international markets with innovativeness and hedonism characteristics positively affect firm value. The effects of culture are complex and multifarious, providing valuable insights regarding the impact of new product introductions in global markets on firm value.