Leadership, Cooperation and Performance in International Marketing Channels: An Empirical Investigation of the United States, Finland, and Poland

Marketing channels around the globe exist in an increasingly competitive environment. Consequently, many alternative channel structures and methods of distribution have emerged. Specifically, many firms have re-engineered their international marketing channel systems by forging cross-cultural alliances to respond quickly to new opportunities and threats. These international partnerships place increased emphasis on the fostering of cooperation among channel partners to achieve individual and systemic goals on a global scale. In a marketing channels context, the existence of a channel leader and the channel leader=s ability to effectively manage channel participants have grown increasingly important. In this environment, the question of the transferability of management theories and practices across cultures takes on greater importance. Despite the importance of channel leadership and channel partner cooperation, research on this construct has been limited in scope.