Rapid global economic development and liberalization have increased the motivation and opportunities for firms to enter into international joint venture (IJV) agreements. Numerous studies in the international marketing literature have examined the impact of international partners’ cultural differences on IJV longevity; however, results are inconclusive, potentially due to limitations in the methods used. While this study examines the varied impact of cultural differences on IJV longevity based on the IJV’s age, it uses quantile regression, enabling the detection of varying effects’ strengths across the dependent variable’s entire distribution. The results demonstrate variations in the role of cultural differences across individual cultural dimensions as well as variations in the patterns of association between cultural differences and IJV longevity dependent on the IJV’s age. Implications for theory and the practice of international marketing are offered as well as potential applications of this study’s methodological approach.

Country-of-origin research has provided inconsistent findings about how the country of manufacture (COM) affects brand image evaluations. The authors examine how the COM, vertical line extension (VLE) type, and brand concept interactively affect brand image evaluations after brands introduce products in their existing product categories. The authors draw on schema congruity theory to develop a conceptual framework and confirm it using experimental methods. Results from a sample of U.S. consumers demonstrate that the COM's influence on brand image should be considered in conjunction with the type of VLE strategy and the intended conceptual meaning of a brand. Manufacturing in a country with a favorable image does not always improve brand image evaluations. Functional brands can improve their image with an upward VLE regardless of the COM; however, if these brands pursue a downward VLE, the COM has little to no effect. For prestige brands, downward VLEs result in lower postextension brand image regardless of the COM. However, a favorable COM appears to soften the negative effect of downward VLE on postextension brand image evaluations.

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