A comparison of European and Chinese supplier and customer functions and the impact of connected relations

Purpose – This paper sets out to consider the scale and scope of the value relationship functions of trading partners and of their connected relationships created in a cross‐cultural framework.Design/methodology/approach – Using a previously‐developed framework of relationship and network functions the paper presents the findings from a database of connected relationships. The perceived importance of relationship functions are compared for buyers and sellers from Europe and China.Findings – It was found that direct functions are more important than indirect functions. There are some differences in perceived importance of functions for buyers and sellers. There are also cross‐national differences in ratings across a range of functions. It is speculated that differences are driven by cultural differences, differing degrees of internationalisation, length of relationships and nature of home market mechanisms.Research limitations/implications – Further research is needed to explain how desired and actual rela...

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