Are cultural differences overrated? Examining the influence of national culture on international buyer-seller relationships
✍ Scribed by Andrew D. Pressey; Habte G. Selassie
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2003
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 138 KB
- Volume
- 2
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1472-0817
- DOI
- 10.1002/cb.113
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Abstract
The notion that differences in national culture influence international buyer‐seller relationships (and, indeed, all aspects of international management) is not only held as true but also axiomatic. This study questions the degree to which cultural differences impact upon buyer‐seller relations for seven key dimensions using Hofstede's indices of culture. Via two stages of data collection using two methodological approaches (seven interviews and 322 useable responses from a mail survey), the impact of culture on international buyer‐seller relationships was examined. The study's findings identified little evidence to support the popular idea that culture exerts a significant influence on international business relationships. Instead, the findings suggest that some managers perceived factors such as communication/language barriers, political barriers, geographic distance, economic factors, industry barriers, time differences, technology barriers, legal differences and infrastructure barriers as being more likely to have a greater impact on cross‐national relationships. Copyright © 2003 Henry Stewart Publications.