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This study includes relationship marketing concepts (i.e. trust, commitment, and satisfaction) as precursors to transaction cost theory outcomes (i.e. specific investments, opportunism, and formalization) which are rarely, if ever, included together. Trust and commitment lead to satisfaction and satisfaction in turn leads transaction cost outcomes. The paper aims to address these issues.

The random sample is 600 small‐ to medium‐sized Norwegian manufacturers. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling was used to examine the responses from 212 key informants.

The strongest positive associations are from the relationship marketing portion of the model including trust satisfaction and commitment satisfaction. The highest negative association in the model is satisfaction opportunism. Contrary to predictions, satisfaction did not have a significant association with either specific investments or formalization.

Both relationship marketing and transaction cost theory concepts are examined because it is likely that business success may be motivated by both theories. Limitations of the study are that it only includes small‐ and medium‐sized companies in Norway. Second, it does not cover all business‐to‐business relationships (i.e. only manufacturer‐supplier relationships are included). Finally, additional concepts should be included (i.e. dependence, cooperation, and control).

The results suggest that managers should work developing high levels of satisfaction in business relationships to dampen the likelihood that business partners will be opportunistic. In this regard, working on a relationship serves as a safeguard against possible future risks (e.g. opportunism).

This study is a seed for future research about the causes and outcomes of satisfaction in business relationships.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a cross‐cultural RELQUAL‐scale in supplier‐distributor relationships in Sweden and the USA.

The Swedish and US sampling frames consisted each of a random sample of 600 owners and managers of distribution firms of specialty tools and fasteners. A total of 161 usable surveys were returned from the US‐survey, for a response rate of 27 percent, while 121 usable surveys were returned from the Swedish survey, for a response rate of 20 percent. An overall response rate of 24 percent was achieved across both countries.

The paper provides support for the dimensional distinctiveness of cooperation, coordination, specific assets, satisfaction, trust, and commitment. Four of the dimensions are reflective of relationship quality or the “cross‐cultural RELQUAL‐scale” (cooperation, coordination, trust, and commitment) and relationship quality was found to be associated with relationship‐satisfaction with suppliers. A test of metric invariance confirmed the RELQUAL‐scale is appropriate for cross‐cultural research.

Examining the tested in other industrial and cultural contexts and countries in other inter‐organizational settings could help establish the generality of findings beyond Sweden and the USA and that beyond the context of the distributor‐supplier relationship of fasteners and specialty tools.

The “cross‐cultural RELQUAL‐scale” is of interest to business practice as it provides a structure of dimensions to be considered in the organizational effort of maintaining satisfactory levels of relationship quality with suppliers.

The paper focuses on two different cultural contexts, which is an approach rarely seen in inter‐organizational research. The focal constructs are frequently included in inter‐organizational research, but have previously not been included in the same empirical study of RELQUAL.

The purpose of this paper is to review the terminology used by various constellations of researchers concerning the formation of organizations that are international from inception, present conceptual and definitional attributes of the phenomena of interest, and propose common terminology, and conceptual framework to use in the future.

A literature review is undertaken that compares research terminology used by different streams of research and different constellations of researchers referring to a new organization that intends be international from the beginning of its creation.

Two principal findings may be stressed: there are constellations of labels used to describe essentially the same phenomena of organizations that are international at their inception, and there are constellations of researchers that use their own unique labels in this field. Provocatively, the authors question whether these findings are due to “academic protectionism” between the constellations or “academic myopia” (i.e. inability to appreciate the literature's terminology between constellations). It is proposed that the terms used in this field of research should be collapsed into another recent concept introduced and defined in literature, namely “early internationalizing firms.”

A conceptual framework of “early internationalizing firms” is outlined. It suggests this concept is more beneficial and appropriate than the concepts using traditional terminology such as: “international new ventures” and “born globals.” It is argued that the “early internationalizing firms” concept is more descriptive of the actual phenomena and explicitly considers the crucial short timeframe involved in the process of internationalization of firms.

The label “early internationalizing firms” may be easier to communicate in practice than some of the current labels used in literature. It emphasizes the practical imperatives of simultaneous localization and globalization, and planning at several levels (i.e. operative, tactical, and strategic levels) in a short timeframe.

The paper suggests that “early internationalizing firms” is more descriptive of the phenomena of interest and should be used in the field. It contributes to the literature by presenting a broadened more useful framework in describing the phenomena of interest. In specific, it takes into account short timeframes and both the globalization and localization aspects of the phenomena.

This study seeks to examine the key role of opportunism in business relationships relative to environment uncertainty (i.e. competitive intensity and market turbulence), bonding structure (i.e. specific assets and dependence), and relationship quality (i.e. trust and commitment).

Initially, informants were contacted by phone and a total of 581 surveys were mailed to small‐ and medium‐sized manufacturers asking them to answer questions about their suppliers. In total, 212 surveys were returned generating a response rate of 36.5 percent. To test the measurement properties and hypothesized relationships between the constructs in focus, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used.

The results supported all six hypotheses. The principal findings are competitive intensity leads to market turbulence and market turbulence, in turn, is positively associated with opportunism; specific assets leads to dependence and dependence is, in turn, positively associated with opportunism; and supplier opportunism is negatively associated with both trust and commitment.

The research model tests a sample of business relationships between small‐ and medium‐sized manufacturers and their suppliers in Norway. Findings may not be generalized to larger companies in other countries.

The results are of interest to manufacturing executives since they provide a framework of contextual variables and relational characteristics that need to be considered in corporate efforts to control supplier opportunism.

This study is unique in testing key constructs of two important theories of business marketing – transaction cost analysis and social exchange theory (i.e. relationship quality) rarely, if ever, used in the same empirical study.

The purpose of this paper is to delineate the similarities and distinctions between cooperation and coordinate and to present distinctive definitions for each.

An extensive review of the extant literature was conducted to examine the precedents with regards to the conceptual domains of cooperation and coordination.

This paper concludes that cooperation is an orientation that one firm has about working with another organization; whereas, coordination are joint activities. This is reflected in the definitions presented in this paper.

Several researchers and practitioners alike view cooperation and coordination as synonymous. However, an organization's cooperative orientation about working with another organization does not inherently lead to coordination. This paper points out that it is necessary to consider cooperation and coordination as two separate but related issues in managing interorganizational relationships.

This study aims to examine and describe ways that organisations in corporate South Africa try to embed ethos of corporate codes of ethics in their organisations.

The study followed a quantitative research approach. The target population was the top 500 companies operating in the corporate sector by revenue. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire from 222 company secretaries and heads/managers responsible for ethics in the companies.

The findings show that the majority of companies have regulations that can help promote ethics ethos. The most prevalent artefact in the area of regulation was found to be conduct of ethical audits. Training was found to be the most prevalent artefact under staff support.

The study was limited to large organisations in South Africa. The findings can thus not be generalised to include small- and medium- sized businesses which make up the largest segment of all businesses in South Africa.

The research provides information that can be used to compare companies operating in different contexts on practices that help promote corporate ethics quality. It provides business managers with information that they can use to evaluate and benchmark their companies on practices that help promote the ethos of corporate codes of ethics.

The study is the first of its kind to examine how organisations go about institutionalising codes of ethics in South Africa. The findings can be used by all sectors of South African business as a point of reference in their efforts aimed at embedding the ethos of ethics in their respective organisations.

The purpose of this paper is to test a research model in which trust and commitment are mediators between economic and non-economic satisfaction.

The sample for this study comprises a total of 600 small and medium-sized Spanish enterprises from various industrial sectors. A total of 259 usable questionnaires were returned, generating a response rate of 43.2 per cent. The research model is tested with structural equation modeling using AMOS-software.

The empirical findings regarding the studied business relationships confirm the independence between economic and non-economic satisfaction, and the mediating role of trust and commitment. Furthermore, the findings confirm that there is no direct cause–effect relationship between economic and non-economic satisfaction.

Numerous inter-organizational studies have tested satisfaction as two separate constructs (economic and non-economic satisfaction). This study goes further by positioning economic satisfaction as a precursor to other more relationship-oriented constructs and outcomes (trust–commitment and, in turn, non-economic or relational satisfaction).

Managers should consider economic and non-economic satisfaction as two separate aspects of relationship quality in business relationships. Furthermore, although these aspects appear to be connected, managers should take them into consideration with respect to the levels of trust and commitment involved in business relationships. Managers should be aware that the level of economic satisfaction is an influential precursor to the levels of trust and commitment that in turn impact on the level of non-economic satisfaction as an outcome.

This study makes a threefold contribution to existing theory and research. First, it tests the constructs of economic and non-economic satisfaction, indicating satisfactory validity and reliability. Second, it provides empirical support that there is no direct relationship between economic and non-economic satisfaction. Third, the empirical findings also indicate satisfactory validity and reliability, indicating that the constructs of trust and commitment are moderators between economic and non-economic satisfaction.