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This article examines industrial channel management in an international context by analysing whether the industrial firm performs export functions itself or whether it transfers these functions to an export middleman. Export theory suggests that certain firm and market characteristics determine whether these tasks will be self‐performed or spun off to a channel intermediary. Hypotheses based on theory are tested on a sample of 225 Dutch exporters. Export sales volume was found to be associated with the performance of tasks required to stimulate, but not supply, foreign demand. However, industrial exporters tend to self‐perform tasks when middlemen are located in distant foreign markets. The findings suggest that an industrial firm′s desire to control export task performance offsets economic incentives to transfer certain channel functions to export intermediaries.

Although instability characterises export channels, little research has examined the interfirm evaluations that are related to a manufacturer′s continued use of export middlemen. In this research, a manufacturer′s evaluations of its international intermediary are divided into performance, dependence, and importance dimensions. Theoretical and empirical literatures are used to frame hypotheses linking each evaluative dimension to an aspect of the manufacturer′s channel design strategy. The results show that manufacturers′ evaluations of their middlemen are systematically related to the economic and organisational strategies used by manufacturers. The discussion draws important implications for managing the indirect export channel.

This article reports the findings of an investigation into marketing management in the Netherlands. It specifically analyses the level of marketing orientation and practice in Dutch industry and also examines the relationship between the implementation of the marketing concept and effectiveness. The results are then compared with previous studies, primarily conducted in the United States and Britain. In line with the research findings in those countries, the present study confirmed findings of previous research on the relationship that exists between the level of strategic marketing planning and company performance, thus giving more credence to the empirical findings in these studies.

Regardless of their income level, Dutch consumers often appear to lack knowledge of the legal remedies available to them under today's consumer protection laws, and this study measures their familiarity with laws regarding deceptive advertising, door‐to‐door selling, warranties, truth‐in‐lending, labelling and other marketing practices. The findings are compared to those of earlier research performed in the US, and what are needed in both countries are more effective ways of informing all consumers of their rights.

Investigates husband/wife influence on purchasing decisions for a variety of goods and services in the Netherlands and in the USA. Reveals that there are substantial differences between the two countries, with the US wife having a greater autonomous role than the Dutch. Indicates that this could have a major influence on promotion, product and distribution strategy decisions for international marketers.

This paper investigates the influence of ethnologically based cultural factors on the motives and occasions for wine consumption both in Australia and overseas. As the international market for wine expands, global marketers have begun searching for new ways to define trans‐national segments. In particular, the success of Australian wines in the UK has provided a strong base for expansion into the competitive European market One key decision must involve what degree of differentiation the marketing program for each country will contain. Because many marketing theorists see ethnic or cultural background as one of the major underlying determinants of consumer behaviour this decision becomes quite critical. Others argue that consumption of wine is not culturally dependent but based on either a common set of motivations or is determined solely by the occasion in which wine will be consumed. To study this hypothesis a questionnaire was administered to approximately 500 respondents from a variety of Australian and European backgrounds. A single cross‐sectional design was employed. Respondents were primarily selected using a random sampling procedure with quotas boosted for some cultural groups by a convenience sampling process. The four chosen for analysis were Italian, Greek, German and Australian. It was found using an occasion‐based segmentation approach that there were significant differences between wine consumers of different cultural backgrounds. It is concluded that cultural factors do impact on the consumption process of wine and should be considered in any proposals for trans‐national segmentation strategies. However it is also shown that there are some motivational factors that are not culturally dependent. These factors are prime reasons for general wine consumption behaviour and could be used if an undifferentiated global! approach to wine segmentation is the most efficient for the marketer.

This paper studies the role of personal selling and the salesforce as an information source and the impact potential information gaps in a downstream business chain can have. It offers a conceptual model of information gaps in an on‐licence wine business channel and suggests areas necessitating further research.

Suggests that the key to success for most European countries in maintaining their position in the world market place is a continuous process of innovation in industry. Looks at the situation in The Netherlands, providing a framework of phases for the product development process. Investigates the innovation process in nine Dutch companies, revealing that product development is poorly structured.

This paper presents a systematic method for classifying research on international channels of distribution. It is used to examine 79 articles published during an 18‐year period (1988‐2005). Based on content analysis, each article is classified by its primary research framework. Two frameworks are identified: (1) structural ‐ based on the economic and organizational aspects of international channels of distribution; and (2) behavioral ‐ based on the exchange relationship between channel members from different national environments. This simple organizing system offers a comprehensive way to analyze scholarship that has emerged in the field. For managers, it can bring the theoretical and practical developments together in an understandable fashion as they seek to interpret and apply research findings. For scholars, it may bring focus to an increasingly complex area of international business and guide future research efforts.

To construct a theoretical framework for understanding the impact of the digitalisation of transactions on the organisation of export intermediation.

This is a conceptual/research paper with a number of illustrative examples – primarily from SMEs.

In the paper, a range of internet‐enabled forms of export intermediation are derived, offsetting the conventional trade‐off between resource commitment and marketing control.

The paper holds a number of relevant insights for export managers seeking to integrate the possibilities of the digital revolution in the organisation of their export marketing activities. These include reshuffling of export marketing tasks among the actors in the marketing channel and new forms of activity specialisation among actors.

Using the theoretical framework of Alderson in combination with transaction cost theorizing. The paper provides a novel theoretical approach for understanding the evolution of marketing institutions in the export marketing field.