Discusses a survey which was administered to a group ofmanufacturers wherein they were asked to evaluate the performance oftheir domestic and international distributors. These…
Abstract
Discusses a survey which was administered to a group of manufacturers wherein they were asked to evaluate the performance of their domestic and international distributors. These evaluations were then compared to ascertain potential problem areas for international distributors and those activities which they were doing adequately (according to the manufacturers). Generally, domestic distributors out‐performed their international counterparts, with the distributor′s handling of damaged merchandise and terms of payment being some of the areas where there was not a significant difference. Kenichi Ohmae′s framework for international involvement could be considered to be a firm′s evolution of their international involvement. A firm′s position in this framework was shown to be independent of the time they had been distributing internationally.