Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing

A relationship model between key problems of international purchasing and the post-purchase behavior of
industrial firms
Carrete Lucero
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Carrete Lucero, (2008),"A relationship model between key problems of international purchasing and the post-purchase behavior
of industrial firms", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 23 Iss 5 pp. 332 - 341
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 A relationship model between key problems
of international purchasing and the
post-purchase behavior of industrial firms
Carrete Lucero
Tecnológico de Monterrey Campus Toluca, San Antonio Buenavista, Toluca, Mexico

Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to analyze the key problems related to the international purchasing operations and their interrelationship with the post-
purchase industrial behavior: repeated purchase with modification, repeated purchase without modification and no rebuy. The objective is to develop a
conceptual model in the area of international post-purchase industrial behavior.
Design/methodology/approach – Based upon prior research in business marketing, international marketing, international business and intercultural
communication, and complemented by an exploratory qualitative approach, the paper proposes a conceptualization of the post-purchase industrial
behavior and of the relationships between cost, logistics, governmental and cultural factors affecting international post-purchase industrial behavior.
Findings – This paper elaborates a conceptual model and research propositions that delineate the relationship between key problems of international
purchasing and the post-purchase behavior of industrial firms. The importance of the cultural factor-problem is outlined.
Downloaded by University of Phoenix At 23:12 22 January 2015 (PT)

Originality/value – The value of the paper is to provide an emerging theory for the study of international post-purchase industrial behavior. The
concept of post-purchasing behavior is explained in the context of international purchasing. Also, the paper provides insights of the effect of culture in
international delivery times.

Keywords Buying behaviour, Business-to-business marketing, Purchasing, Lead times, Buyers, France

Paper type Research paper

An executive summary for managers and executive
readers can be found at the end of this article.
Introduction
The internationalization of industrial purchasing is nowadays
a common activity for many enterprises and this tendency is
increasing. Many companies develop and manufacture
products to be commercialized simultaneously in different
countries. They also import raw material, components or
semi-finished products coming from different parts of the
world. Their purpose is to reduce production costs, improve
their product quality, or receive a benefit from the
technological developments relative to products and
processes. This activity does not only concern the big
industrial customers, but also the small and medium
customers from different sectors of industrial activity. These
companies incur more and more toward international
purchases to be able to face the ever-growing competition.
Although this dynamic has favored the development of
remarkable studies on the international industrial buying
behavior, the theoretical and empirical frameworks are scarce
compared with the research developed on the exporter’s
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behavior. Table I provides an overview of selected studies on
international purchasing identified in the literature.
In light of these growing approaches to the phenomenon of
international purchasing and given the limited
conceptualization on the post-purchase behavior of the
international buyer, we want to focus this article on the
following:
.
To propose a conceptualization of post-purchasing
behavior in international purchasing.
.
To present a conceptual model and research propositions
delineating the relationship between key problems of
international purchasing and the post-purchase behavior
of industrial firms.
The need to develop and test a conceptual model, outlining
the relationships between key problems of international
purchasing and the post-purchase behavior is central.
Therefore, we first review the major perspectives on key
international purchasing problems: costs generated by
international purchases, logistics’ problems, cultural aspects
and governmental issues. Brief overviews of literature on the
management of those problems are provided. Second, we
present a model of key problems of international purchasing
that impact on the firm’s post-purchasing behavior. This
model will be complemented by an inductive interpretation of
ten interviews conducted with international industrial
purchasers. We conclude with a brief discussion and
guidelines for future research.

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing

23/5 (2008) 332– 341 Received: August 2006
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited [ISSN 0885-8624] Revised: January 2007
[DOI 10.1108/08858620810881601] Accepted: April 2007

332
 Key problems of purchasing and post-purchase behavior
Carrete Lucero
Table I Prior studies on international purchasing: an overview
Research issues
Implications of international purchasing in the strategic and financial Davis et al. (1974); Arnold (1989); Carter and Narasimhan (1990); Kotabe and
performance of companies
International purchasing strategies
Tavernier (1983, 1984)
International negotiation and its implications for buyers and suppliers Min and Galle (1991); Graham (1985); Usunier (1987, 1988a, b, 1989); Prime
The logistics aspects of the international purchasing
International buying behavior
Country-of-origin effects on the international buying behavior
Buyers’ motivations to buy abroad
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Products and sectors involved on international purchasing
International purchasing problems and their administration
International purchasing in firms: the role of
costs, logistics, governmental and cultural
problems and implemented management
A review of prior conceptualizations
Direct and indirect international costs
A review of the literature on international costs reveals a
general consensus in the way they are defined: the added costs
not included in the costs of a national purchase. These costs
include the international transport, import taxes,
intermediary’s services, financial expenses, development of
additional stock, communication and trips abroad, among
others (Fagan, 1991; Min and Galle, 1991; Page-Lecuyer,
1991; Gentry, 1991; Murphy and Daley, 1994; Levy, 1995,
Bouche and Plauchu, 1995). The costs that have been more
studied in the industrial purchasing literature are those related
to international transport, the fluctuations in exchange rates
and the intermediaries involved in international transactions.
Because of the importance given to these costs for many years
by the industrial buyers (Min and Galle, 1991), research has
focused on the weight of this problem in the international
purchasing operation (Levy, 1995). As was pointed out by
Page-Lecuyer (1991), the international transportation cost
can raise the price of products by 5 up to 30 percent
approximately. Even when the international transport cost
could not affect the competitiveness of the product price, this
has been perceived by industrial buyers as the second most
important cost after the exchange rate fluctuations (Min and
Galle, 1991). In terms of the management to confront the
transportation costs, studies have focused on the product
characteristic (e.g. less expensive transport for products with
low added value) and on the type of demand (e.g. air
transportation in the event of punctual demands not foreseen
or unstable demand (Page-Lecuyer, 1991). The measures to
manage exchange rate fluctuations range from those that are
taken before the selection of the supplier (e.g. the use of
Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing
Volume 23 · Number 5 · 2008 · 332 –341
Authors
Swan (1994); Murray et al. (1995)
Reichel (1988); Min and Galle (1991); Monczka and Trent (1991, 1992);
Rajagopal and Bernard (1993); Swamidass and Kotabe (1993); Handfield
(1994); Gupta and Zhender (1994)
Tavernier (1983, 1984); Narasimhan and Carter (1990); Giunipero and
Monczka (1990); Barreyre and Lentrein (1992); Sweeney (1994)
(1994)
Murphy et al. (1992); Murphy and Daley (1994, 1995)
White (1979); Hallen (1982); Speckman (1991); Ghymn et al. (1993); Deng and
Wortzel (1995); Liang and Stump (1996)
Kaynak and Kucukemiroglu (1992); Thorelli and Glowacka (1995)
Monczka and Giunipero (1984); Fagan (1991); Frear et al. (1992); Birou and
Fawcett (1993); Levy and Dunning (1993); Swamidass and Kotabe (1993);
Swamidass (1993)
Frear et al. (1992); Wyckoff (1993)
Carter and Vikery (1988, 1989); Fagan (1991); Gentry (1991); Min and Galle
(1991); Frear et al. (1992); Birou and Fawcett (1993); Levy and Dunning (1993);
Barreyre and Lentrein (1992); Levy (1995)
exchange rate information as an input to the sourcing decision
and to the volume-timing of purchases decision) to those that
are taken after the selection of the supplier (e.g. payment in
purchaser currency, buying foreign currency in advance,
buying foreign currency futures, risk-sharing contract
agreement and payment in supplier’s currency). The first
ones are called macro-level strategies and the second ones are
called micro-level strategies (Carter and Vickery, 1988,
1989). Regarding the cost of specialists in international
trade, the most popular functions of these intermediaries, for
which industrial buyers are willing to pay, are freight charges,
tracing and expediting shipments, making routing
recommendations, issuing export declarations and preparing
certificates of origin (Murphy et al., 1992; Murphy and Daley,
1995). The costs related to taxes and customs duties have
been widely studied in the theories of international trade. In a
way, the former explains the relatively little analysis done in
industrial purchasing literature.
Logistical problems
The transportation delays or delivery problems have been
identified by Min and Galle (1991), Frear et al. (1992), and
Barreyre and Lentrein (1992), as the most important
obstacles in the international purchasing. Before the
exchange rate fluctuations and the transportation costs. The
suppliers’ failure to meet delivery requirements is a problem
regardless of where it happens (North and South America,
Eastern and Western Europe, Caribbean Area, East Asia and
other Asian Countries). Barreyre and Lentrein (1992) show
that the compliance with lead times appears as a main
difficulty for the industrial buyers because of the
incompatibility of international purchasing with the just-on-
time practice. Because lead times can influence decisions such
as the form of stock administration and the transport and
carrier selection, the management analysis has focused on the
organization of the logistic system (e.g. to integrate an
approach that coordinates the different logistical functions of
333
 Key problems of purchasing and post-purchase behavior
Carrete Lucero
the enterprise such as transport organization, purchasing
order processing, warehouse and stock administration
(Murphy and Daley, 1994; Levy, 1995). In that sense, the
companies that use an integrated logistic system should be
more successful in global sourcing than those that manage
logistics in a fragmented, uncoordinated manner.
The cultural problem
Contrary to delivery problems, cultural heterogeneity has
shown fewer issues for industrial buyers (Min and Galle,
1991; Frear et al., 1992). Even though, when referring
exclusively to the negotiation phase, purchasers perceive
linguistic and cultural differences as the most serious
obstacles (e.g. dishonesty of the international supplier,
different conflict resolution styles and the size of the
negotiating team). In that perspective, the research has
focused in the effect of culture on the process, on the
strategies and on the results of international negotiation
(Graham, 1985; Jolibert, 1988; Campbell et al., 1988;
Usunier, 1987, 1988a, b, 1989; Prime, 1994). Related to
the buyer-supplier relationship, the research of the European
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work team IMP (Turnbull and Valla, 1986; Valla, 1987) and
that of other European authors (Dzever, 1996; Kale and
Barnes, 1992) has focused in the effect of national culture on
the elements of the buyer-supplier’s interaction: participants,
the interaction process, relationship’s atmosphere and the
environment in which the interaction takes place. In the
studies of international negotiation, the management
proposals have focused on the understanding of the national
culture of the international partner (e.g. to adapt the content
and the communication style preferred by the counterpart in
the interactions).
Governmental issues
The overseas trade controls are mainly discussed in
international business literature from a juridical point of
view in order to explain their influence on the purchasing
operations of buyers. Since these problems are perceived as
not very important by international purchasers (Min and
Galle, 1991), the studies of the import controls only focus on
getting buyers familiar with the implications of the
international transactions, according to the product’s nature,
its origin and its destination. There exist two different
approaches for the management of this problem. One
approach analyzes actions related to qualitative aspects (e.g.
the requirement to the supplier to meet health standards,
security quality, packaging and labeling standards, in order
that products may be imported legally into the country).
Another approach analyzes actions related to quantitative
aspects (e.g. to conform to the quotas limitation of the
imported product to ensure its availability) (Gauchet, 1996;
Leenders et al., 1998).
A conceptual model of costs, logistics,
governmental and cultural factors affecting
international post-purchase industrial behavior
Although there is an important body of research on the
problems affecting international industrial purchasing, an
integrated model delineating the relationships between
organizational, geographical and governmental factors and
post-purchase behavior is needed. Our objective is to propose
a conceptual model that outlines the relationships between
key problems of international purchasing and the post-
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Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing
Volume 23 · Number 5 · 2008 · 332 –341
purchase behavior. This model, summarized in Figure 1, will
be complemented by an inductive interpretation of ten
qualitative interviews conducted with international industrial
purchasers. This study was accomplished with French buyers
as part of a doctoral program in that country. The companies
were selected from the French directory Telexport Rhone
Alpes that perform regular acquisitions of industrial products
in international markets. The interrogated person in each
company was the international purchasing agent (see the
interview guide which is reproduced in the appendix). All the
interviews were recorded and written in a monograph form
and they were analyzed using the content analysis method
(Neuendorf, 2002). This qualitative approach is suitable to
complement the conceptual model proposed.
The profiles of the studied companies vary in relation to
industry, size, imported product and origin country of the
purchasing. Two companies correspond to the agrochemical
sector, two to the electrical household appliances sector and
the remaining six to the food, electric, distribution of
photographic products, pharmaceutical, dressing and textile
sectors, respectively. Of the ten companies seven have more
than 250 employees. From the researched companies, several
acquire their different supplies from more than one country.
From the European Union they buy materials such as
chloride and active materials to manufacture herbicides,
insecticides and fungicides; components or semi-finished
products such as packing, electric components, cloth and
thread in polyester and cotton, and finished products as
appliances and photographic products. From East Europe
they procure cloth and thread in polyester and cotton and
they subcontract the assembling of electric switches. From
Central and Southeast Asia they purchase active materials to
manufacture herbicides, insecticides and fungicides, thread
and cloth in polyester and cotton and appliances. From West
Africa they obtain exotic fruits and from North America and
Central America they buy active materials to manufacture
herbicides, insecticides and fungicides, photographic products
and exotic fruits. This profile allows integrating a diversity of
international purchasing experiences.
A brief description of the major components of the model
and the presented propositions follows.
Types of post-purchase behavior
Post-purchase behavior can be conceptualized according to
the underlying types of behavior in the post-purchase process.
Specifically, we conceptualize post-purchase behavior along
three dimensions: purchase is repeated without modification,
purchase is repeated with modification and there is no rebuy.
It is conceivable that all three forms might take place in a
particular firm, and the nature of repeated purchase with
modification may vary across contexts of the international
exchange activities of the firm. Note that our terms repeat
purchase without modification and repeat purchase with
modification are parallel to the buying situations: straight
rebuy and modified rebuy.
Repeat purchase without modification
This behavior refers to the situation where the buyer keeps
demanding the same product from the same international
supplier with the same criteria. This behavior will exist as long
as the buyer does not experience any relevant problem on the
international purchase process and the performance level of
the supplier corresponds to the one expected. And,
 Key problems of purchasing and post-purchase behavior
Carrete Lucero
Figure 1 A model of international post-purchase industrial behavior
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simultaneously, the buyer does not entertain better proposals
of supplying sources.
Repeat purchase with modification
This behavior results in a change of suppliers or purchasing
criteria. For example, decision-makers choose a modified
rebuy situation when they face problems like long delays or
high costs due to exchange-rate fluctuations. In these cases,
the buyer revaluates alternatives as passing the purchasing
order with anticipation or signing risk-sharing contract
agreements or switching to a new supplier due to
unhappiness with a current one. Repeat purchase with
modification is dependant on the way a decision-maker has
managed the purchasing problems.
No rebuy
This dimension is the more critical post-purchase behavior.
No rebuy occurs when the decision-makers decide to end the
international purchase because of the many problems
involved in the process and the impossibility to handle
them. For example, cultural heterogeneity could cause
irreconcilable misunderstandings to meet urgent demands or
quality standards. The geographical distance could be
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Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing
Volume 23 · Number 5 · 2008 · 332 –341
incompatible with the just on time practice, or it could be
very difficult or impossible to handle the long delays caused
by weather, strikes, or customs’ problems (Levy, 1995).
Problems of international purchase: magnitude
and management
Cost effects
The effect of added costs on the international purchasing
(understood as the costs not included in a national purchase)
has been documented in the business to business literature.
The international transport and fluctuations in the exchange
rates are considered the most onerous costs. In our
exploratory qualitative approach, the magnitude of these
costs is also emphasized by French decision-makers. Other
important costs are those related to quality problems and to
the exceptional stocks. On the opposite, the overseas travel
and communication costs and the import tariffs’ costs are
considered marginal. Other costs highlighted by the
interviewed managers and that do not figure very often in
the international purchasing literature are: the service of
importers when it is required due to the nature of the
 Key problems of purchasing and post-purchase behavior
Carrete Lucero
purchase (commercializing companies, commercial agents);
the ad hoc package in order to assure the products; and the
created structures for managing the purchase: the purchasing
functions, logistics, and product development.
Moreover, the transport cost becomes relevant mainly when
the products have a low added value, are required in low
volumes and from distant sources. According to our
interviews, this can increase the product’s cost by 7 percent
up to 20 percent. The management for confronting the
transportation costs is related to the product characteristic
(e.g. less expensive transport for products with low added
value, foreseeing the purchasing orders to avoid affecting the
production program; or different conception of products in
order to optimize the packaging and therefore the container
filling and the transportation). It is also related to the type of
demand (e.g. air transportation in the event of punctual
demands not foreseen or unstable demand) and to the buyer-
transport relationships (e.g. the negotiation of rates with
transports through partnership). In the extreme case, the
post-purchase behavior of the company could be to stop
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purchasing from the international supplier, as expressed by an
interviewed manager:
The transport costs from Asia are onerous for our company; we will try then
to find the right products in our country to get separated from that region.
The costs of exchange rate fluctuations are also significant in
international purchasing. One of the interviewed managers
describes them in the following way:
These costs become significant in our international operations because our
forecasts are not always good . . . it is difficult to estimate the movements of
exchange rates.
The measures to manage this problem are related to macro
level strategies (e.g. the use of exchange rate information as an
input to the sourcing decision and to the volume-timing of
purchases decision) and micro level strategies (e.g. payment
in purchaser’s currency, buying foreign currency in advance,
buying foreign currency futures, risk-sharing contract
agreements and payment in supplier’s currency) (Carter and
Vickery, 1988, 1989).
Related costs due to low quality (waste, rejections, rework
products): these costs can have an important financial impact
because they affect the production program of the company.
The charges for reworking could be minimal, but they may
increase unit cost by as much as 35 percent (Fagan, 1991).
Their management is related to the appropriate definition of
technical specifications (e.g. a careful revision of the
specifications in the purchasing order), and to the
negotiation criteria (e.g. a specific negotiation on important
aspects of the purchasing or a negotiation of losses when a
product arrives with quality problems). It is also related to the
implementation of quality controls in the supplier’s company.
Finally, the cost due to exceptional stocks may add from 5
to 10 percent to the unit cost (Fagan, 1991). The
management of this cost focuses on the analysis of the total
cost’s impact (e.g. the option of plane transportation in the
event that this cost is smaller than the one derived from
keeping a stock or its elimination). It also focuses on the
evaluation of the geographic distance’s impact (e.g.
implementation of just on time deliveries for products
coming from sources with geographic proximity). It is
suitable to note that the small and medium companies are
the ones that have a bigger interest in calculating all the costs
336
Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing
Volume 23 · Number 5 · 2008 · 332 –341
derived from their international purchases. Decreasing the
total costs of their requirements will allow them to carry on
with the business.
Hence:
P1. The greater the added cost of the international
sourcing, the greater is the probability of repeating a
purchase with modification.
P2. The greater the added cost of the international
sourcing, associated with the impossibility to confront
it, the greater the probability of not repeating the
international purchase.
Logistics factors
In the context of international purchasing, the key variable
underlying logistics factors is the lead-time. This aspect can
be viewed from two different perspectives: For purchases from
neighboring countries lead times are not necessarily a
problem. The companies may even develop “just on time”
deliveries just as they do with their national suppliers. But
when products come from farther, defective and late
deliveries are recognized to be an important obstacle in the
international purchasing (Min and Galle, 1991; Frear et al.,
1992; Barreyre and Lentrein, 1992). Products coming from
Asia and Africa usually are transported in ships in addition to
trucks or trains before the product reaches the American or
European industrial clients. Because of the long expedition of
the goods, delays may occur due to changes in weather
conditions or to the underdevelopment of the transport
infrastructure of certain countries. In the interviews
conducted with the French buyer agents, they attribute the
lead time problems to the geographical remoteness of the
supplying source and to the time it takes for the fluvial or land
transportation. They perceive lead-time problems as an
important issue mainly when it is necessary to work on a
“just on time” basis or when they have the need for
complementary and urgent deliveries. In order to continue
with the international purchases, the way to manage the delay
and long lead times problems is related to the organization of
the logistic system. This implies the following aspects: the
negotiation of firm and provisional delivery agreements; the
constitution of security stocks for products considered
important; the negotiation of supplying agreements with
national suppliers to satisfy the demand fluctuations; the
development of transport specifications for assuring on-time
transportation, and the programming of reasonable
purchases. An interviewed manger notes that:
To manage long itineraries of the international purchases, we try to make the
most possibly reliable purchase forecasts, even more, we take the risk of
ordering even though we don’t have firm demands from our clients.
Hence, the implications are:
P3. The greater is the lead times problem of the
international sourcing, the greater is the probability
to repeat purchase with modification.
P4. The greater is the lead times problem of the international
sourcing, associated with the impossibility to handle it,
the greater is the probability of not repeating the
purchasing.
Governmental factors
Governmental factors consist of the amount of customs
regulations on quotas and/or the fulfillment of documents and
 Key problems of purchasing and post-purchase behavior
Carrete Lucero
standards of international purchasing. The first factor could
not represent a significant problem. Either because of the
nature or the volume of the purchasing, decision-makers
will not face the quota’s problem. Whenever there is the need
for considering the quantity, managers usually request the
services of internationally certified importers and
the purchases are made without obstacles. Concerning the
accomplishment of technical norms, it could be a problem in
the case when the legislation of the origin country differs
greatly from the national one (in health or security matters),
or when the international supplier refuses aligning its
products with updated national norms. The management
then focuses on the establishment of agreements with the
supplier (e.g. costs negotiation of the package or functional
features, suitability of products to meet requirements of health
standards, security quality, packaging and labeling). It is also
related to the establishment of agreements with the local and
national Customs Office to facilitate the fulfillment of the
total international paperwork (e.g. combining the total of
different purchases from customs into one single procedure,
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sending documents by fax in order to acquire purchases
through customs, assisting the firm 24 hours a day including
weekends, and transferring control responsibilities to the
company). The interviewed managers outline the importance
of subscribing customs partnerships mainly in the cases when
the industrial purchases are dispersed throughout different
continents. These agreements intend preserving the
regulation dimension of the Customs Office favoring the
administrative dimension of the company. Customs is
perceived by industrial clients as an unavoidable link totally
integrated into the logistical chain.
Hence:
P5. The greater are the customs regulations on quotas or
the fulfillment of documents and standards of
international purchasing, the greater is the probability
to repeat purchase with modification.
Cultural factors
Important aspects that facilitate or inhibit purchasing are the
cultural factors. Contrary to the governmental controls, to the
induced costs by international purchasing, and still to the lead
times related to geographical factors; cultural problems are
perceived by the interviewed managers as the biggest obstacle
for the expansion of international purchasing. This finding
contrasts with the previous studies, where cultural
heterogeneity showed fewer issues for industrial buyers (Min
and Galle, 1991; Frear et al., 1992). The cultural problem is
present particularly in two moments of the purchasing
process: on the purchasing negotiation and on the
purchasing management. During the purchasing negotiation,
the linguistic divergence ends up affecting the definition of the
technical specifications. It is not simple for decision-makers to
define the specifications of products in a language that is not
their mother tongue. Misunderstandings can appear with
suppliers acting in good faith. But beyond the syntax and
terminological structure, the definition of specifications
requires the understanding of the underlying connotations
of the concepts. Differing understanding of concepts such as
“quality,” “fashion,” “design,” “urgent deliveries,” could
cause difficulties in making clear the buyer’s real necessities.
On the management of purchasing, the culture of foreign
suppliers could create difficulties in three axes: support of
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Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing
Volume 23 · Number 5 · 2008 · 332 –341
complementary supplying, modifications in the products’
specifications and length, respect and speeding up of lead
times. In our study, the lead-time problem seems to be the
most recurrent of the three. The buyers state that lead times
of foreign suppliers are particularly long, beyond the technical
complexity of the product or the geographic distance. The
management of the cultural divergence could have different
approaches: a people’s approach (e.g. conduct the purchases
through channel intermediaries familiarized with the foreign
culture, recruit personnel that speak the foreign language
fluently, support from members of the firm’s branches in the
supplying country), and an information’s approach (e.g.
search of information on the supplier’s culture to understand
the way they think). As a manager noted:
We try to be informed as much as possible about the way our foreign
suppliers think, we try to assume the cultural differences without any
connotation of good or bad.
Another approach is the one related to relational aspects (e.g.
establish narrow relationships with foreign suppliers where the
human contact impacts favorably in the international
exchange). A firm operating in an international context
would be willing to adopt a global conscience in such a way
that its self-reference approach, as Cateora (1987)
emphasizes, does not hinder its marketing-mix strategy in
foreign markets.
Hence:
P6. The stronger is the organizational cultural divergence
between the companies involved, the greater is the
probability to repeat purchase with modification.
P7. The stronger is the organizational cultural divergence
between the companies involved, associated with the
impossibility to handle it, the greater is the probability
of not repeating the purchasing.
Proposals for future research
Studies examining the relationship between key problems of
international purchasing and post-purchase industrial
behavior are necessary for developing the theory
foundations on international industrial purchasing in
addition to improving international purchasing efforts. In
this section we outline several research directions.
We have conceptualized post-purchase industrial behavior
as a multidimensional construct. The next necessary step is to
generate valid and reliable scales to capture the dimensions of
post-purchase behavior. Another important step for
developing valid measures of post-purchase behavior is to
determine whether the proposed dimensions are meaningful
and generally exhaustive, that is: are most of the major
dimensions of post-purchase international industrial behavior
included in this framework?
In the proposed model, post-purchase industrial behavior is
presented as a function of organizational, geographical and
governmental factors. Empirical testing of the model can
provide insights into its validity as well as the need for further
refinements. Furthermore, we presented the weight of these
factors/problems in the international purchasing operation, in
that sense there is a need to examine if the cultural aspect
should be recognized as the main obstacle in international
purchasing. For this purpose, a suppliers’ perceptions
perspective could be adopted.
 Key problems of purchasing and post-purchase behavior
Carrete Lucero
Another major research direction that can be drawn from
this study is the need for further research on the effect of
culture in international delivery times. The international
delivery times seem to be driven, aside from technical aspects,
by a less objective and even more intangible dimension, such
as the cultural perception of time by buyers and suppliers. It
appears necessary to include this variable in the examination
of international delivery time determinants. In our study the
buyers initially relate delivery problems to the geographical
distance, the type of transportation and the technical
complexity of the product. But when approaching cultural
problems, it highlights that the perceptive divergence in time
delivery requirements also has an important influence in the
international lead times. This key finding shows that delivery
problems could be examined from a less tangible aspect:
cultural heterogeneity.
Finally, a critical issue related to key problems of the
international purchasing is to examine the dimensions of
measures proposed to manage the purchasing problems. Such
research is particularly important because it can assist to
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theory building concerning the post-purchase behavior.
Repeat purchase with or without modification and no rebuy
are dependant variables of the way decision-maker manages
the purchasing problems.
Managerial Implications
Although our conceptual model and research propositions are
based in a qualitative research derived from a very small
sample, we propose some reflections to buyers and suppliers
managers.
From the purchaser’s point-of-view, it will be important to
consider the business culture of the supplier company at the
moment of the evaluation of sources. This aspect is often
neglected due to its intangible character. Even tough this is a
factor that affects some important phases of the international
transaction: the comprehension of buyer’s needs or the
fulfillment of the agreement transaction. The cultural distance
should be viewed by purchasing departments as an issue that
needs proper attention to determine appropriate actions.
Besides the cultural divergence, the buyer should have a clear
comprehension of other implications of international
purchases. For example, the delays or lead-time problems
from products coming from afar and the added cost related to
the international transport, fluctuations in the exchange rates,
quality problems or exceptional stocks. This clear
comprehension will provide buying centers with a better
organization through the buying process making it more
effective and efficient.
The supplier should be also aware of all the implications
derived from international purchases. This knowledge might
be incorporated into the selling strategies to improve
customer loyalty, sales prospects or margins. If the supplier
wants repeated purchases from the buyer, an effort should be
made to understand the needs of his client, to respect any
agreements and to seek a way to help the buyer in handling
the problems of the international purchase process.
Conclusion
An emerging theoretical perspective in the area of post-
purchase industrial behavior suggests the importance of
examining the relationship between the key problems of
338
Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing
Volume 23 · Number 5 · 2008 · 332 –341
international purchasing and the post-purchase behavior of
industrial firms. We highlight the need to conceptualize and
operationalize the dimensions of post-purchase responses to
the international purchasing. Also, because any conclusions
pertaining to the impact of key problems of the international
purchasing will depend in part on the conceptualization of the
construct “post-purchase behavior”.
It is also of great importance to continue with the research
of the cultural influence on the behavior of buyers and
industrial suppliers for improving the understanding of the
problems in international exchanges. Because the key finding
of this study was the relationship of the international lead-
time service to cultural aspects, it becomes imperative to
develop a theoretical framework that integrates this
dimension.
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Appendix. Interview guide for directors or
purchasing responsibles about specific problems
of international industrial purchasing
Company:
Activity sector:
Number of employees:
I. Introduction phase: reminder of the nature and the
objectives of the research. Gathering of general information
on international purchasing of the company.
What industrial products does your company purchase from
abroad? Why? From the mentioned products, which represent
the main supply according to the volume or value of the
purchase? Where does this product come from? Why? Since
when does the company purchase this product from a foreign
country?
II. Centralization and deepness phase of the topic: to
identify the specific problems which the purchasing operation
produces of the main product supplied from abroad and the
way they are managed.
Sub-topic no. 1 – Additional purchasing costs
Which are the costs in which the company incurs in the
purchasing of the main product coming from a foreign
country, not present in a national purchase? From the
mentioned costs, which are considered the most important
ones? Why? What percentage does this additional cost
represent related to the global cost of the product? How
does the company quantify these costs? Which is the
incidence of these costs in the international purchasing
operation? Does the company do something to diminish
additional costs? Which costs? How?
Sub-topic no. 2 – Logistical, cultural and institutional barriers
Which problems does your company face in the international
supplying of the studied product, not related to additional
costs? Is there any incidence in the supplying due to
geographical distances that separate the supplier from the
client? Which? Has your company faced problems related to
fees or import norms of this product? Have there been
understanding problems with the foreign supplier? What kind
340
Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing
Volume 23 · Number 5 · 2008 · 332 –341
of problems? How do these problems affect the administration
of particular international purchasing and the general activity
of the company? Explain. Has the company implemented
mechanisms to diminish the negative incidence of these
problems? Why yes? Why not? Which ones?
IV. Conclusion phase: to recapture the problems identified
in the international purchasing operation.
In conclusion, which is the importance that your company
attributes to each of the discussed problems and the
additional cost associated to international purchasing? Why?
To which of the problems do you consider that international
clients should pay more attention after a purchase performed
abroad? Why?
Corresponding author
Carrete Lucero can be contacted at: lcarrete@itesm.mx
Executive summary and implications for
managers and executives
This summary has been provided to allow managers and executives
a rapid appreciation of the content of the article. Those with a
particular interest in the topic covered may then read the article in
toto to take advantage of the more comprehensive description of the
research undertaken and its results to get the full benefit of the
material present.
You are a landscape gardeners’ supplier and import the very
best, high-quality Indian sandstone, re-selling it at a
competitive price. Everything in the garden’s looking rosy in
terms of international purchasing until new regulations insist
load weight limits on your shipping containers must be
reduced, rocketing oil prices send your transport costs
soaring, and the dollar exchange rate shaves off even more
of your profit.
And what if your definition of an “urgent” order is not quite
the same as that of your overseas supplier, and your attempts
to run your business on efficient “just in time” inventory
strategy turn out to be a “just too late” embarrassment?
What do you do? Carry on buying and re-selling your stone
regardless? Keep on buying but renegotiate the terms with
your overseas supplier? Or call the whole thing off and try to
source alternative materials from elsewhere?
It is a problem facing organizations everywhere, whatever
their business, if it involves buying from abroad. Not everyone
factors in those elements of international business that can
leave you grappling with unwelcome surprises that leave you
feeling out of control.
Carrete Lucero tries to remove some of the surprise element
with a conceptual model. In a study based on French
companies that regularly buy industrial products in
international markets, they highlight the importance of
examining the relationship between key problems
of international purchasing and the post-purchase behavior
of industrial firms.
It is important for a growing number of organizations as the
internationalization of industrial purchasing, once the
preserve of just the mighty, is nowadays common practice
for an increasing number of enterprises of all sorts and sizes.
Many companies develop and manufacture products to be
commercialized simultaneously in different countries,
importing raw material, components or semi-finished
 Key problems of purchasing and post-purchase behavior
Carrete Lucero
products from all over the world in an effort to stay ahead of
ever-growing competition.
Despite difficulties caused by extra transport costs,
grapping with legal imperatives, import/export
documentation and lead times extended because of the
distance the product has to travel, managers in the study
perceived cultural problems to be the biggest obstacle to the
expansion of international purchasing – a finding which
contrasts with previous studies which concluded cultural
heterogeneity had fewer issues for industrial buyers.
Cultural difficulties can arise both in purchasing negotiation
and purchasing management. During the purchasing
negotiation, language differences can affect the definition of
the technical specifications. It is no simple matter defining
product specifications in a foreign language.
Misunderstandings can appear with suppliers acting in good
faith. As the study discovered, different understanding of
concepts such as “quality,” “fashion,” “design,” “urgent
deliveries,” can cause difficulties in making clear the buyer’s
real necessities.
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On the management of purchasing, the culture of foreign
suppliers could also create difficulties – lead times being the
most recurrent in the study. Buyers stated that lead times of
foreign suppliers were particularly long, beyond the technical
complexity of the product or the geographic distance.
Carrete Lucero says the management of the cultural
divergence could have different approaches: a people’s
approach (e.g. conduct the purchases through channel
intermediaries familiarized with the foreign culture, recruit
personnel that speak the foreign language fluently, support
from members of the firm’s branches in the supplying
country), and an information approach (e.g. search of
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341
Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing
Volume 23 · Number 5 · 2008 · 332 –341
information on the supplier’s culture to understand the way
they think).
From the purchaser’s point-of-view, the study emphasizes
the importance of considering the business culture of the
supplier company at the moment of the evaluation of sources.
This aspect is often neglected due to its intangible character –
even though it affects some important phases of the
international transaction, including the understanding of
buyer’s needs or the fulfillment of the agreement transaction.
The cultural distance should be viewed by purchasing
departments as an issue that needs proper attention to
determine appropriate actions. Besides the cultural
divergence, the buyer should have a clear comprehension of
other implications of international purchases. For example,
the delays or lead-time problems from products coming from
afar and the added cost related to international transport,
fluctuations in the exchange rates, quality problems or
exceptional stocks. This clear comprehension will provide
buying centers with a better organization through the buying
process making it more effective and efficient.
The supplier should be also aware of all the implications
derived from international purchases. This knowledge might
be incorporated into the selling strategies to improve
customer loyalty, sales prospects or margins. If the supplier
wants repeated purchases from the buyer, an effort should be
made to understand the needs of his client, to respect any
agreements and to seek a way to help the buyer in handling
the problems of the international purchase process.
(A précis of the article “A relationship model between key problems
of international purchasing and the post-purchase behavior of
industrial firms”. Supplied by Marketing Consultants for
Emerald.)
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