Contents and Editorial of Vol. 4 No. 3 of IJEXPORTM

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Int. J. Export Marketing, Vol. 4, No. 3, 2021
Contents
205 Editorial
Dafnis N. Coudounaris and Stanley Joseph Paliwoda
208 Destination country and export performance of agri-food products during
the COVID-19 crisis
Valeska V. Geldres-Weiss, Natalia B. Arcos-Pino, Skania L. Geldres-Weiss and
Pedro E. Guerrero-Stuardo
229 Theoretical evidences of the creation of born global exporting
entrepreneurs: insights from the entrepreneurship theories
Adhora Zaman, Md. Fahmidul Hoque and Tarun Kanti Bose
260 Foreign implementation strategies: the case of Swiss manufacturing MNCs
Lamia Ben Hamida, Patrick Ischer and Stefanie Hasler
282 The extent of students’ cultural immersion during study abroad programs:
implications for cross-cultural learning
Agnieszka Chwialkowska
306 Can exporting SMEs benefit from extending longer payment periods?
Saara Julkunen, Markus Mättö, Mervi Niskanen and Max Niskanen

Int. J. Export Marketing, Vol. 4, No. 3, 2021 205
Copyright © 2021 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
Editorial
Dafnis N. Coudounaris*
Aalborg University Business School,
Aalborg University,
Fibigerstræde 2, 9220 Aalborg Ø, Denmark
Email: daco@business.aau.dk
and
School of Economics and Business Administration,
University of Tartu,
Narva Road 18, Delta Building, 51009 Tartu, Estonia
Email: dafnis.coudounaris@ut.ee
*Corresponding author
Stanley Joseph Paliwoda
Department of Marketing,
Strathclyde Business School,
University of Strathclyde,
199 Cathedral Street, G4-0QU Glasgow, UK
Email: stan.paliwoda@strath.ac.uk
Biographical notes: Dafnis N. Coudounaris is a Visiting Associate Professor
in IB at the Aalborg University Business School of Aalborg University,
Aalborg, Denmark, and Visiting Lecturer at the School of Economics and
Business Administration of the University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia. He received
his BSc in Economics from the National and Kapodistrian University of
Athens, Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing from Bristol Polytechnic, MSc in
International Business from UMIST, and PhD in Industrial Marketing from
Luleå University of Technology. He has published several papers in
international journals such as MIR, JI Management, IBR, P&M and JBR. He
serves as a member of the editorial review boards of Journal of Business
Research, Journal of Innovation and Knowledge, Anatolia and International
Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Management. He recently became the Chief
Editor of the open-access journal Nordic Journal of Tourism, which is
published by Inderscience Publishers.
Stanley Joseph Paliwoda is an Emeritus Professor of Marketing at the
Department of Marketing, Strathclyde Business School, University of
Strathclyde, Glasgow. He is a former senior examiner of the Institute of Export
in the UK and has written various textbooks, and in particular a seminal one
entitled International Marketing with co-author Professor Michael Thomas. He
has published 65 articles in books and international journals. He is the Deputy
Editor of the Journal of Customer Behaviour and Fellow of both Chartered
Institute of Marketing and Chartered Management Institute. He is an
international trustee of IP Management Poland and has served as a member of
several editorial boards.

206 D.N. Coudounaris and S.J. Paliwoda
Welcome to the third issue of the fourth volume. We would like to invite you to
contribute to the free on-line conference called the 3rd Nordic International Business,
Export Marketing, International Entrepreneurship and Tourism Conference 2021, which
will be held on-line on ZOOM during 6th to 7th November 2021. The conference is
sponsored by the International Journal of Export Marketing and Nordic Journal of
Tourism, which both offer special issues for this event.
This issue includes five papers in the field of export marketing, international business
and international entrepreneurship. The five papers are summarised in the following
paragraphs. The first paper investigates whether exported agri-food products from Chile
maintained their main destination countries, and the number of markets during the
COVID-19 crisis. The second paper aims to identify the factors creating born global
exporting entrepreneurs in emerging countries in the form of Bangladesh through the lens
of entrepreneurship theories. The third paper investigates how Swiss firms increase
exports. This may lead some firms to acquire subsidiaries abroad, and in doing so, they
become multinationals that can rely on the knowledge, and distribution networks of their
sister companies to overcome certain legal, economic or cultural barriers. The fourth
paper aims to identify components that make some study programmes abroad more
effective than others in terms of increasing students’ cross-cultural competence and
preparing internationally-minded graduates. Finally, the fifth paper, investigates whether
a connection exists between extending trade credit and firm performance after controlling
for the degree of internationalisation, when measured by the scope of exporting activities
of Finnish SMEs.
In the first paper, Geldres-Weiss, Arcos-Pino, Geldres-Weiss and Guerrero-Stuardo,
based on six cross-sectional Chilean case studies on exported agri-food products in three
categories (fresh, frozen, and processed), and comparing 2020 (during the COVID-19
crisis) with the previous year, show that export performance varies depending on both the
kind of product and the category to which it belongs. The role of trade agreements
confirmed the destination country as a primary stakeholder. This study contributes to the
stakeholder theory and literature on export performance, considering the destination
country as a primary stakeholder in exporting firms.
The second study by Zaman, Hoque and Bose reveals the role of trait, contingency
and environmental factors in creating born global exporting entrepreneurs, and identifies
ten factors that show evidence in creating born global exporters. The study is based on
the replies of 61 respondents who were chosen by the snowball method from born global
exporters in the agricultural sectors who export jute/fisheries. The survey questionnaire
consisted of 50 statements and used a five-point Likert scale to measure the extent of
agreement with the statements. This study contributes to existing entrepreneurship
theories by evaluating the factors that create born global exporting entrepreneurs.
In the third study, Hamida, Ischer and Hasler, based on interviews with
representatives of manufacturing multinationals mainly in French-speaking part of
Switzerland, shows that the process of implementation abroad is systematically evolving.
This presence outside national borders is first made possible by intermediaries, whether
distributors or agents. Once market entry is consolidated, firms invest abroad, either by
building a production site or by acquiring a distribution subsidiary. In addition, contacts
with other firms can enhance knowledge sharing and strengthen firm export performance.
Finally, a dynamic ecosystem exists, in which large firms can also share their networks
with smaller ones as long as they design complementary products.

Editorial 207
The study by Chwialkowska, based on interviews and essays from nearly 100
participating students and staff working at international offices, reveals that study
programmes abroad may involve immersion in the local community, participation in
lectures at host institutions, and company visits. However, some programmes are reduced
more to an organised sightseeing tour. They can also vary in length (one-week intensive
international programmes vs. year-long exchange study programmes). Among the
expected outcomes of study programmes abroad is increased intercultural competence.
However, not every study programme abroad is planned in such a way as to enable the
accomplishment of their goals and to maximise the positive impact on participating
students.
Finally, the study by Julkunen, Mättö, Niskanen and Niskanen, based on the main
results, show that domestic firms have a negative relationship between trade receivables
and profitability, with exporting firms benefitting from longer collection periods.
Moreover, when examined separately, there is a negative connection between extending
trade credit and firm performance, as well as between internationalisation and firm
performance. The study contributes to existing literature by suggesting that previously
observed results between trade credit and firm performance may be driven by the export
activity patterns of sample firms. The results imply that, contrary to expectations,
exporting firms benefit from longer outstanding sales periods.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank and express our appreciation to the following seven academics
who spent their valuable time in the development of this issue: Ashraf Abumousa,
Henrik Arvidsson, Paul Christodoulides, Andrea Éltető, Georgia Masilli,
Rana Mostaghel, and Tiia Vissak.