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Anchored on the broaden-and-build theory and the circumplex model, the authors develop and test a conceptual model in which satisfaction, influenced by an effective handling of communication, cooperation, conflict, and opportunism, is set as the predictor of inter-partner creativity in the relationship between hotels and their foreign travel agents under the Covid-19 pandemic.

The conceptual model was tested with data collected from 190 randomly selected hotel units located in Greece, using both online and drop-in questionnaire methods. Data were analyzed using SEM analysis.

Satisfaction with the working relationship was found to be enhanced by improving communication and cooperation, as well as by keeping conflict and opportunism at low levels. This was a strong predictor of inter-partner creativity, although less pronounced under high levels of relational distance and rigidity.

The study should be extended to other country settings, replicated at different levels of crisis severity, and use dyadic data. Additional environmental factors could be used as boundary conditions, while our model could be expanded to include additional drivers and consequences of inter-partner creativity.

To generate inter-partner creativity, there is a need to maintain high levels of satisfaction through proper communication, enhanced cooperation, conflict minimization, and avoidance of opportunistic actions. Also, to better translate satisfaction into inter-partner creativity, interacting parties should keep distance at low levels, while at the same time demonstrate greater flexibility.

The study unveils the role of effectively managing behavioral factors in inter-firm relationships to develop creative solutions to the Covid-19 crisis challenges, an issue neglected by prior research. The study also sheds light on the contingent effects of distance and rigidity, two important factors moderating relationships under crisis. The study applies for the first time two psychological-based theories, the broaden-and-build theory and the circumplex model, to an international marketing crisis situation.

Some light is shed on the behavioural aspects of the working relationship between developing country‐based exporters and developed country‐based importers in manufactured consumer markets. The interest is focused on the issues of exercised power, conflict and co‐operation which comprise the atmosphere of a business relationship and the resulting satisfaction/dis‐satisfaction derived from it. Thirty‐four Cypriot exporters and 21 British importers provided the research sample. The exporter‐importer relationship was shown to be characterised by low levels of conflict, high levels of co‐operation and the exercise of asymmetrical power, directed by the importers to the exporters.

Notwithstanding the significant progress of exporting research in recent decades, extensive reliance on the neoclassical microeconomic paradigm has been responsible for its recent stagnation or even decline. This paper advances the viewpoint that one way to circumvent this problem is by augmenting the analysis of exporting phenomena using the relational paradigm. In doing so, it attempts to link extant knowledge on export pre‐engagement, initiation, development, and sustainment, with ideas, concepts, and theories advanced within the sphere of relationship management. The paper concludes that export management is basically a process of managing relationships with foreign customers, as well as other parties operating inside or outside the company's supply chain.

Although exporting can offer many benefits to smaller manufacturers, a large number of these firms refrain from export operations as a result of insufficient stimulation. This paper seeks to critically analyse and creatively synthesise the reasons that may stimulate a smaller firm to export, based on a review of 32 empirical studies conducted in various parts of the world during the period 1974‐2005.

A total of 40 export stimuli were systematically identified from the extant empirical literature, which, for analytical purposes, were divided into internal and external, as well as proactive and reactive. Within each study, stimuli were ranked in terms of their importance, frequency, or intensity, and the aggregate impact of each stimulus in all studies under review was evaluated.

The review revealed that export stimulation stems from a variety of factors, and may vary according to time, spatial, and industry contexts. Irrespective of contextual factors, there are certain motives that systematically play a key role in encouraging smaller firms to export, such as the desire to achieve extra sales, profits, and growth, utilise better idle production capacity, exploit a unique/patented product, avoid the threats of a saturated domestic market, reduce home market dependence, and respond to unsolicited orders from abroad. Some of these motives may lead to an opportunistic approach to exporting, while others denote deliberate export adoption. It was also shown that, although there are numerous other stimulating factors, with a lower impact on exporting, these should not be underestimated because their role may increase under certain conditions or become complementary to export stimuli with a stronger impact.

The findings of the study have serious implications for both public and company policy makers. Policy makers may use this insightful analysis of export stimulation as a guide to developing proper export promotion programmes and sound export marketing strategies.

The paper offers a comprehensive review and synthesis of all factors with a possible stimulating effect on exporting; evaluates the aggregate effect of each factor, as collectively derived from all empirical studies conducted on the subject; and provides an in‐depth analysis of the nature and the stimulating mechanism of each factor.

Although corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been an issue of major concern for marketers for more than half a century, only recently has it attracted the attention of international marketing researchers. During the last two decades, this body of research has experienced an increasing trend, which, however, is very fragmented and diverse. In response, the purpose of this paper is to review, assess, and synthesize extant research on the role of CSR activities in international marketing.

The review and assessment covered the period from 1993 to 2013 and all relevant articles were traced, using both electronic and manual search methods. Altogether, the authors identified 132 studies published in 106 articles that appeared in 63 journals. Each article was content analyzed by two coders who worked independently from each other, using a structured coding protocol. Due to the nominal nature of the finalized codes, these were statistically analyzed taking the form of percentage frequencies.

The results were organized in terms of theoretical, methodological, and empirical considerations. Theoretically, a third of the articles were not anchored on any theory, while the remainder employed various theoretical platforms, with stakeholder theory having a predominant role. Methodologically, this specific body of research is characterized by growing sophistication and rigor, with some room for improvement, especially as regards the use of longitudinal research, better sampling methods, wider geographic scope, and advanced statistical analysis. Empirically, a broad range of issues was covered, with the most widely studied being those focussing on the elements of international marketing strategy, external environmental influences, and CSR practices.

The authors review and assess 21 years of research conducted on a crucial and contemporary dimension of international marketing, namely CSR. The findings provide useful insights for public policymakers, business managers, academic scholars, and marketing educators. The authors also provide detailed directions for future research, extracted from the articles reviewed.

The buyer‐seller relationship in international consumer markets is investigated from the behavioural point of view. Seventeen matched‐pair relationships between Cypriot exporters and their corresponding British import customers comprised the research sample. The majority of these relationships were described as successful, with success being measured by the degree of satisfaction received from them. They exhibited the following common characteristics: exercise of an asymmetrical power which had an expertise base, prevalence of a low level of conflict of a functional and overt nature and existence of a high level of voluntary co‐operation. Overall, it was revealed that relationship management is a crucial component of a firm′s export behaviour and a determinant of its future export development.

This article reports the findings of a study investigating the association of the atmosphere governing buyer‐seller relationships in international markets with the company’s involvement in export business. Based on a sample of 100 export manufacturers from Cyprus, the study first classifies firms in three homogeneous groups using 15 clustering criteria of export involvement. It then identifies the underlying dimensions of ten behavioural factors describing the working relationship between exporters and their import customers. Finally, it traces differences in the relationship atmosphere according to the company’s involvement in export markets. Overall, the study revealed that the more a firm is involved in exporting, the more likely its relationships with overseas customers are to be characterized by greater resource and personnel commitment, more communication sufficiency, higher levels of cooperation, substantial partnership dependence, excessive levels of trust, and stronger feelings of satisfaction with both financial and behavioural performance. Certain theoretical and practical implications are derived from the study findings, as well as directions for further research.

Consumer scepticism about the credibility of green advertising around the world is growing. The article aims to provide a comprehensive assessment and trend analysis of green advertising practices of international firms over a 20‐year period.

The study identifies 473 international green advertisements during the 1988‐2007 period and content‐analyses them on five major axes: advertiser profile, targeting features, message aspects, copy characteristics, and situation points.

The content analysis reveals significant trends in all major areas examined and identifies important interaction effects between certain dimensions of green advertisements.

The findings could be augmented by combining them with changes in the external environment, input from consumers about advertising effectiveness, the views of advertisers and advertising agencies, and secondary data referring to the performance of the specific company/product advertised.

Green advertising research mainly focuses on domestic rather than international advertisements; examines important issues in isolation from other issues; partially analyses message, copy, and situation characteristics; and covers a short period. This study fills these gaps by systematically evaluating international green advertisements over a long period and using an integrated framework of analysis that is based on the extant literature. It also explores potential interaction effects between key dimensions describing these advertisements.

An attempt is made to shed some light on the marketing characteristics which prevail in the countries of the Persian Gulf region. This attempt was stimulated by the increasing consumer demand in the area (especially after the end of the Gulf War) as well as the lucrative, but at the same time complex, character of these countries. The analysis focuses on the external marketing environment of the region, the prevailing consumer behaviour patterns and the marketing tools which are available to the international marketer. A good understanding of all these parameters and the adoption of scientific marketing methods are of paramount importance for the success of any firms wishing to operate in the Gulf area.

Provides insights into the distribution system of consumer goods in Saudi Arabia. The investigation derives information from both secondary and primary sources and centres on three distribution dimensions, namely structure, operation and behaviour. Finds that structural characteristics are inextricably linked to the idiosyncratic demographic, economic and sociocultural environment of the Kingdom, and that operating elements are greatly affected by environmental forces, as well as by rising competitive pressures and demanding customers. Behavioural aspects reveal the powerful role of distributors/agents and wholesalers in the distribution scene, as well as signs of channel conflict and competition. Overall, the study demonstrates that the Saudi distribution system is unique, complex and transient, and one where traditional and modern elements coexist. A thorough understanding of this system, therefore, is critical in gaining a foothold in such a lucrative but difficult market.