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Purpose The purpose of this study is to enhance the understanding of the role of contracts in channel relationships. Treating contracts as a multidimensional construct, this study examines the effects of contractual issue inclusiveness and contractual obligatoriness on performance and opportunism, as well as the moderating effects of relational norms on the above relationships. Design/methodology/approach Based on the data of 206 samples collected from distributors of house furnishing, computer and computer components, moderated regression is used to test the hypotheses. Findings The empirical test generally supports the conceptual model and provides three findings. First, contractual issue inclusiveness is more profound in enhancing relationship performance than contractual obligatoriness, and contractual obligatoriness is more statistically powerful in mitigating opportunism than contractual issue inclusiveness. Second, relational norms can enhance the positive effect of contractual issue inclusiveness but not contractual obligatoriness on performance. Third, relational norms can strengthen the negative effect of contractual obligatoriness but not contractual issue inclusiveness on opportunism. Research limitations/implications First, this study investigates only contractual issue inclusiveness and contractual obligatoriness, and future studies should consider other dimensions of contracts. Second, the influence of external environment is not considered in the model. Third, data from Chinese distributors limit the generalization of conclusions. Finally, data come only from buyers, and suppliers’ viewpoints are not included. Practical implications The results provide a framework for managers to use contracts and relational norms. Managers should pay attention to the alignment between contractual dimensions and firm objectives because various dimensions of contracts have different impacts on channel relationships. Originality/value Prior research has documented contracts’ role in coordinating channel relationships but has not achieved consistent conclusions on contracts’ effectiveness. Furthermore, extant research indicates that channel members will use contracts and relational norms simultaneously but has conflicting views on the combined effects of these two control mechanisms. The study contributes by addressing these issues.

Purpose Social capital is critical for firms to conduct business activities; however, whether it is always beneficial for exploratory innovation and the specific and contingent effects of each dimension remain unknown. This paper aims to examine the role of three dimensions of social capital in determining exploratory innovation and investigate how firms’ portfolio management capabilities shape these links. Design/methodology/approach Survey data from 276 firms in high-tech industries in China are used to test the hypotheses. Findings The authors find that cognitive social capital negatively affects exploratory innovation, whereas relational and structural social capital both demonstrate inverted U-shaped relationships with exploratory innovation. In addition, portfolio management capability positively moderates the relationships between the three dimensions of social capital and exploratory innovation. Practical implications Given the advantages and disadvantages, managers should be prudent in the establishment of social capital; moreover, firms should develop and improve their portfolio management capabilities to effectively manage their relationships in the pursuit of exploratory innovation. Originality/value This research contributes to the social capital theory and innovation literature in two ways. First, it provides a multi-dimensional examination of the effects of social capital on exploratory innovation and the empirical evidence of the negative side of social capital. Second, it extends the extant literature by introducing a more holistic perspective and proposing that portfolio management capability helps firms to overcome the negative effects and strengthen the positive effects of social capital on exploratory innovation.

Purpose IT-enabled service offshoring has become a vital and widespread practice for firms seeking to realize various advantages. However, many firms suffer from “hidden costs” (the discrepancies between the expected and actual costs of offshoring), and these firms often find a disappointing outcome from their offshoring decisions. The purpose of this paper is to explore whether and how the adoption of an offshoring strategy can reduce such hidden costs and how this effect can be moderated by contextual factors, including the complexity of tasks and the accumulation of experience. Design/methodology/approach Based on survey data from the Offshoring Research Network, this study uses hierarchical regression analysis to empirically test the hypothesized relationships. Findings A corporate-wide strategy for guiding offshoring decisions may effectively reduce cost-estimation errors. This effect is amplified by increasing task complexity, but decreases with growing offshoring experience. Regardless of whether a strategy is initially in place, most firms learn to avoid cost-estimation errors only after several years. This finding suggests that firms have a limited ability to mitigate hidden costs in the short term. Practical implications The guidelines specified by an overarching strategy can better rationalize cost estimation and goal setting for individual offshoring projects, provide incentives for project participants to achieve preset aspirations, and enhance cost-efficiency in fulfilling offshoring activities and in coping with emerging contingencies. Firms tend to benefit more from establishing a formal strategy to reduce the hidden costs of more complex projects, especially if the firms involved have little offshoring experience. Originality/value This study empirically examines the hidden costs in offshoring from a strategic management perspective. This approach extends our understanding of cost estimates in offshoring, and it explores the influence of corporate strategy in the alignment of expected and achieved performances from IT-enabled service offshoring. The study also examines the boundaries of strategy’s ability to affect hidden costs, and it expands our knowledge of the relationship between strategy and experience.

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