Title: Foreign firms' access to the Japanese market

Authors: Ralf Bebenroth; Nir Kshetri; Reinhard Hünerberg

Addresses: Research Institute for Economics and Business Administration, Kobe University, Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe 657-8501, Japan ' Bryan School of Business and Economics, The University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27402-6165, USA ' Marketing Competence Center (DMCC), Mönchebergstr. 1, D-14109 Kassel, Germany

Abstract: This paper examines interrelationships among foreign firms' perceptions of market barriers related to the access, quality of inter-organisational institutions and their market commitment and performance in Japan. Our findings suggest that foreign firms that perceive a higher level of macro-level institutional barrier are likely to have an unfavourable assessment of the accessibility of the Japanese distribution system. We also found that firms with a favourable assessment of the accessibility of the Japanese distribution system are likely to develop better inter-organisational networks. Finally, our findings would suggest that firms with a higher level of commitment to and performance in Japan are characterised by a favourable assessment of the accessibility of the Japanese distribution system and better inter-organisational networks. Implications are discussed.

Keywords: Japan; Japanese markets; perceived barriers; institutional market barriers; access to distribution systems; inter-organisational networks; market commitment; market performance; foreign firms; company perceptions; distribution accessibility.

DOI: 10.1504/EJIM.2014.058482

European Journal of International Management, 2014 Vol.8 No.1, pp.1 - 19

Published online: 14 Oct 2014 *

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