The Role of Exporters’ Emotional Intelligence in Building Foreign Customer Relationships

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, we 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. We test the model with data collected from 262 Greek exporters using structural equation modeling. The results indicate that higher levels of exporter emotional intelligence enhances 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

Setting the Theoretical Foundations of Importing Research: Past Evaluation and Future Perspectives

Although prior efforts have been made to review research on importing, an updated, integrated, and chronological assessment of its theoretical evolution is lacking. This study critically investigates the theoretical foundations of importing research using a comprehensive review of 321 importing-related articles published during the 1960–2010 period. The analysis reveals that, although in general this research adopts a certain theoretical perspective, a notable part of it is not theoretically anchored. Of those studies that rely on theories, the most commonly used are the neoclassical microeconomic model, the behavioral model, and transaction cost economics. These theories were mainly associated with international buying behavior, importer–exporter relationships, and strategic aspects of importing. The study also identifies a range of other important topics that could be investigated using extant theories. In addition, the authors propose several other theories not previously employed, such as the institutional, stakeholder, and resource dependence theories, to be used in the study of new research issues. Finally, the authors suggest several actions toward theory advancement, including the need to integrate multiple theoretical paradigms, adjust theory to different environments, combine quantitative and qualitative inputs, cross-fertilize ideas from various disciplines, and periodically assess developments in the importing literature