Communication in international business-to-business marketing channels: Does culture matter?

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 Ecommerce era of Internet-based B2B international channels of distribution. D 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.