Purpose – Distribution arrangements are becoming increasingly complex and dynamic in business as well as in consumer markets. The purpose of the present paper is to explore and discuss the theoretical frameworks available to interpret these distribution arrangements, to uncover how they are...

Distribution research, both in Europe and in the United States, is fragmented into two seemingly disparate disciplinary orientations: an economic approach and an organisational approach. The former attempts to apply micro‐economic theory and industrial organisation analysis to the study of...

This paper explores what factors motivate exporters to change their foreign market servicing mode from using independent distributors and agents to setting up their own local sales organization, and what factors impede such changes (switching costs). Using data from a sample of 214 Danish...

This study examines how subsidiaries in multinational corporations (MNCs) experience interactions with corporate headquarters. We conceptualize such interactions in terms of organizing costs, focusing on two key types of costs: bargaining costs and information costs. Specifically, we examine how...