دانلود رایگان مقاله افزایش عملکرد صادرات تعهد رفتاری

ABSTRACT

This study examines the extent to which behavioral commitment and communication mediate the effect of customer orientation on export performance such as satisfaction with the percentage margin, capability of payment, and level of complaints. The research was carried out in the Norwegian seafood industry with a sample of 105 exporters. Length of the relationship, firm size, and environmental uncertainties are considered as covariates. The results show that behavioral commitment and communication fully mediate the relationship between exporter’s customer orientation and customer’s payment capability. Furthermore, communication mediates the relationship between customer orientation and the level of customer complaints. The results do not support the view that behavioral commitment and/or communication are key mechanisms promoting exporter’s satisfaction with the margins. The more predictable and stable the environment is in the export market, the more likely it is that the exporter is pleased with the level of complaints and the percentage margin.

5. Discussion and conclusions

This research contributes to understanding how customer orientation relates to performance in exporter–importer relationships. We examine two relational qualities – behavioral commitment and communication – through which customer orientation influences performance measures important to the exporter, such as satisfaction with the margins, customer’s payment capability, and level of complaints. The study is rooted in the relational paradigm, which is based on the assumption that building longterm relationships leads to high performing business (e.g. Styles et al., 2008). This study contributes to research focusing on the export marketing context in several ways. First, it shows that the effect of customer orientation on satisfaction with the customer’s payment capability is fully mediated by the exporter’s behavioral commitment. Customer orientation and behavioral commitment are both concerned with the customer’s needs, although very different needs. A customeroriented firm aims at offering the best solutions (product and services supporting the deliveries) to the customer in order to achieve economic advantages. We find that customer orientation promotes behavioral commitment, that is, the exporter’s willingness to offer special assistance in order to signify that the firm appreciates the relationship and is motivated to make an effort to ensure that the relationship is maintained. This implies that the exporter is prepared to offer special assistance, such as a flexible payment schedule, when a customer whom the firm wants to sustain a long-term relationship with is in a difficult economic situation. Thus, behavioral commitment, which implies a longterm perspective on the relationship, can significantly affect the exporter’s satisfaction with the customer’s payment schedule and thereby improve the economic performance. Second, we find that behavioral commitment does not mediate the customer orientation’s influence on the exporter’s satisfaction with the margins. That is, expending extra efforts to help the customer such as offering extended credit and flexible payment schedules or accepting unfavorable orders has neither positive nor negative effects on the exporter’s satisfaction with the margins. This is an important finding because it shows that offering help when the customer asks for it does not imply any negative consequences for the exporter’s perceived financial performance in terms of margins. Third, our findings do not support the view that behavioral commitment mediates the relationship between customer orientation and customer’s level of complaints. This result shows that offering special assistance only when the customer asks for it is not a viable strategy to reduce the number of customer complaints. Instead, our research shows that two-way communication has a key role in ensuring that customer-oriented firms achieve satisfaction with the level of complaints.