TY - JOUR
T1 - International intermediaries
T2 - A systematic literature review and research agenda
AU - Virtanen, Yuan
AU - Jiang, Yan
AU - You, Weimu
AU - Cai, Helen Huifen
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Intermediaries such as trading companies, agents and merchants have played a key role in international business for centuries. Despite the growing importance of understanding the phenomenon of intermediaries, there are misperceptions and confusions regarding the concept and value of intermediaries, which result in disconnected and fragmented research findings. This study – based on an analysis of 101 articles published between 1985 and 2021 – aims to synthesise the conceptual developments and provide a more integrated understanding of both sourcing and trading intermediaries whose activities extend across national borders. The findings help to pave the way for further academic research by highlighting what we currently know and do not know about intermediaries, outlining the theoretically grounded research agenda for each of the three identified themes: (1) What are intermediaries? (2) When should intermediaries be used? and (3) How do intermediaries work and develop? The study shows that despite decades of research on this topic, the literature to date has been limited and scattered. Researchers are encouraged to consider the role of intermediaries in a bigger picture where intermediated exchanges exist not only in dyadic relationships, but also in triads or even in broader webs of networks.
AB - Intermediaries such as trading companies, agents and merchants have played a key role in international business for centuries. Despite the growing importance of understanding the phenomenon of intermediaries, there are misperceptions and confusions regarding the concept and value of intermediaries, which result in disconnected and fragmented research findings. This study – based on an analysis of 101 articles published between 1985 and 2021 – aims to synthesise the conceptual developments and provide a more integrated understanding of both sourcing and trading intermediaries whose activities extend across national borders. The findings help to pave the way for further academic research by highlighting what we currently know and do not know about intermediaries, outlining the theoretically grounded research agenda for each of the three identified themes: (1) What are intermediaries? (2) When should intermediaries be used? and (3) How do intermediaries work and develop? The study shows that despite decades of research on this topic, the literature to date has been limited and scattered. Researchers are encouraged to consider the role of intermediaries in a bigger picture where intermediated exchanges exist not only in dyadic relationships, but also in triads or even in broader webs of networks.
KW - Global sourcing
KW - Intermediaries
KW - International trade
KW - Systematic literature review
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85143150558&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.emj.2022.11.005
DO - 10.1016/j.emj.2022.11.005
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85143150558
SN - 0263-2373
VL - 41
SP - 932
EP - 949
JO - European Management Journal
JF - European Management Journal
IS - 6
ER -