The influence of interfirm relational capabilities on export advantage and performance : an empirical analysis

Owing to the nature of the export channel environment, exporting firms cannot rely solely on their internal competencies for achieving competitive advantages and export success. Instead, exporters must look beyond the firm's boundary to tap into the distinctive competencies of external actors such as distributors if they want to realize the full potential of their products. Yet, there is little empirical evidence of the strategic impact of resources and capabilities that can be shared in marketing's cooperative relationships. This study raises two research questions: (1) does a firm's relational capability contribute to its export competitive advantages? and (2) does a firm's relational factors make an incremental contribution to its export advantage and performance beyond the contribution of firm factors. A significant conclusion of this study is that after controlling for internal firm factors, relational factors make a unique contribution to both the competitive advantages of the firm and its export performance.