Process Standardization across Intra- and Inter-Cultural Relationships

Abstract

Theoiy suggests that culture may hinder the ability to effectively standardize the process of relationship development strategies across intraand inter-cultural relationships. Construct relationships between trust, commitment, conflict and satisfaction in manufacturer-distributor relationships are examined intra-(i.e., within a single cultural type) and inter-culturally (i.e., between different cultural types) with a sample of distributors from Canada, Chile, Mexico and the United States. Results support theoretical differences in the consequences of the trust-commitment relationship between intra-cultuml and inter-cultural relationships. The results suggest process standardization based upon cultural type.The appropriateness of using a globally standard strategy has been the subject of intense academic debate and research for several decades (cf., Jain 1989). In fact, a lengthy body of literature and research has been developed concerning the extent to which marketing mix elements can be effectively transferred, in total or in part, from one country to another (see Baalbaki and Malhotra (1993) for a comprehensive literature review). Managers have long been interested in the standardization issue, since among other things, it suggests operational economies and the development of uniform best practices. Standardization has two fundamental aspects: program and process (Sorenson and Wiech-

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