Reclaiming the child left behind: the case for corporate cultural responsibility

Although a reasonable understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR) exists, one dimension remains largely ignored. That is, the cultural impacts of corporations, or the bearing, at various levels of their business models, activities, and outcomes on the value systems and enduring beliefs of affected people. We introduce the notion of corporate cultural responsibility (CCR). The way corporations address CCR concerns can be reflected according to three stances: cultural destructiveness, cultural carelessness, and cultural prowess. Taken sequentially, they reflect a growing comprehension and increasingly active consideration of CCR concerns by corporations. In turn, we explicitly address issues related to the complex question of determining the cultural responsibilities of corporate actors; specify key CCR-related conceptualizations; and lay a foundation for discussions, debates, and research efforts centered on CCR concerns and rationales

A relational model of export performance

Export performance models anchored in the industrial organization and resource-based theories have previously been developed and tested. Thus far there have been no empirically tested export performance models that have reflected the core tenets of the relational, or behavioral, paradigm. Drawing from relational exchange theory, a model that includes reciprocal perceptions that relate to both past and future exchanges is developed. This model is tested with dyadic data from 125 West–East (Australia–Thailand) exporter–importer partnerships, reflecting the increasing importance of West–East exchange relationships. Results support the theory's contention that commitment (to future exchanges) is associated with export performance, and is itself driven by a reciprocal cycle of each partner's perception of the other's commitment, relationship-specific investments and dependence. This cycle of commitment is in turn influenced by each partner's trust in the other (from past exchanges), with different types of trust linked to different types of commitment. Trust and commitment are then found to be related both to interpersonal factors (i.e., effective communication, cultural sensitivity and likeability of partner) and to firm factors (reputation and competencies of partner). Journal of International Business Studies (2008) 39, 880–900. doi:10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400385