International Business and Communications

As business-to-business marketing channels become more international in scope, communication in channels occurs among a more diverse set of channel participants from different national cultures. Do such cultural variations influence channel communications and if so, how? This study examines these questions in international business-to-business marketing channels comprised of channel members representing different cultural contexts. The findings show that there is a relationship between culture and channel communication in international channels. This influence stemming from “cultural distance” may have significant implications as business moves into the E-commerce era of Internet-based B2B international channels of distribution.

Copyright © 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

Bert Rosenbloom is Professor of Marketing and the Rauth Chair of Electronic Commerce Management at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA.

Trina Larsen Andras is Professor and Head of the Marketing Department at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA.