The influence of brokers on networking behaviour during internationalization: a study of Czech SMEs
Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing
ISSN: 0885-8624
Article publication date: 22 September 2020
Issue publication date: 11 March 2021
Abstract
Purpose
Under given environmental uncertainties, the purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of brokers on the networking behaviour of small- and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs) and the subsequent impact on the performance of SMEs. The following five different types of brokers were tested, namely, coordinator, representative, cosmopolitan, liaison and gatekeeper brokers.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected through an online survey and analyzed by using the hierarchical regression method.
Findings
The results from the hierarchical regression analysis of 198 Czech firms showed that coordinator and representative brokers moderate the relationship between environmental uncertainty and networking behaviour. However, under high environmental uncertainty, the coordinator broker worked best, whereas in the host country, under low environmental uncertainty, the representative broker worked best.
Originality/value
The findings of this study have useful implications for SMEs in selecting an appropriate broker for strengthening their networking behaviour in the international market. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of various types of brokers on networking behaviour during their internationalization of SMEs. More specifically, this study examined if and how, given the uncertainties in the international market, multiple brokers help SME executives develop networking behaviour.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author thanks the editor Prof Wesley J. Johnston and to the anonymous reviewers for the constructive comments that helped to improve the quality of this paper. This work was supported by the Internal Grant Agency of Faculty of Business Administration, the University of Economics in Prague.
Citation
Srivastava, M. (2021), "The influence of brokers on networking behaviour during internationalization: a study of Czech SMEs", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 36 No. 3, pp. 436-453. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-09-2019-0405
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited