Purpose: This study aims to examine the double-edged effects of guanxi on opportunism and the moderating effects of legal enforceability and partner asset specificity. It thus differs from the current literature, which primarily focuses on the benevolent effects of guanxi. Design/methodology/approach: Based on matched data collected from 268 sales manager and salesperson dyads, this study tested hypotheses using hierarchical regressions. Findings: The empirical test supports the conceptual model and demonstrates two findings. First, guanxi between boundary spanners follows an inverted U-shaped relationship with inter-firm opportunism. Second, both the benefits and drawbacks of guanxi are stronger under the condition of low legal enforceability and high partner asset specificity. Research limitations/implications: The study did not untangle guanxi into different dimensions and did not investigate how firms should make trade-offs between the benefits and drawbacks of guanxi. Therefore, future research could further explore this question by using a multidimensional approach. Practical implications: The study alerts managers that guanxi is a double-edged sword, so they should complement it with formal control mechanisms, particularly when they are operating in legally inefficient regions or when their partner firm’s asset specificity is high. Originality/value: The study offers a more balanced view of guanxi by showing both its positive and negative effects on opportunism. It also uncovers legal enforceability and partner asset specificity as two boundary conditions that influence the curvilinear effects of guanxi on opportunism.

As digital platforms reshape the commercial landscape, brands increasingly collaborate with these platforms to enhance product sales. Many adopt livestream as a strategic tool to attract more traffic, typically choosing between Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Key Opinion Leader (KOL) approaches. Meanwhile, platforms operate under either an agency or a resale mode. However, the relative effectiveness of these strategies remains unclear. This study investigates an e-commerce supply chain comprising a single brand and platform, examining how AI and KOL livestream influence supply chain decisions across different sales modes and identifying optimal strategies for the brand and platform. Results show that when the platform’s revenue sharing rate is low, the agency mode consistently yields a Pareto improvement over resale, regardless of the livestream scheme. Moreover, when the KOL promotion fee rate is low, KOL livestream outperforms AI livestream under both sales modes. When the revenue sharing rate is high, the brand’s optimal strategy is “resale mode and KOL livestream”, while the platform prefers “agency mode and KOL livestream”. Conversely, when the revenue sharing rate is low, the platform’s best strategy is “resale mode and KOL livestream”, while the brand favors the agency mode, with livestream preferences shaped by KOL promotion fee rate.

Purpose: Given the great upheaval in the international situation and the increasing operating risk in international business, research on corporate diplomacy is thriving. However, it still lacks clear conceptualization and operationalization. Based on social capital theory, our study conceptualizes corporate diplomacy as a three-dimensional construct and quantifies its distinct and combined impacts on multinational enterprises’ (MNE) subsidiary performance.Design/methodology/approach: This research analyzes 134 responses collected from a questionnaire survey among key informants in Chinese MNEs using the regression method.Findings: This research finds that corporate diplomacy is positively correlated with MNEs’ subsidiary performance. Specifically, compatriot-oriented diplomacy is the most effective, followed sequentially by host-partner-oriented and host-regulator-oriented diplomacy. In addition, compatriot-oriented diplomacy substitutes for host-partner-oriented diplomacy but complements host-regulator-oriented diplomacy in enhancing subsidiary performance.Originality/value: Our research enriches the conceptualization and operationalization of corporate diplomacy and provides a nuanced view of its distinct and combined effects on MNEs’ subsidiary performance.

The store‐within‐a‐store (SWS) arrangement is one of the most important channel structures. Taking the perspective of manufacturers, this paper extends the literature by examining the role of manufacturers’ prediction accuracy, moderated by demand uncertainty and inventory‐related parameters, in determining the adoption of the SWS strategy. This study constructs a theoretical model to investigate manufacturers’ decision based on the uncertainty model. The result shows that, first, as a manufacturer’s demand forecast accuracy increases, it would be more likely to choose the SWS mode, and demand uncertainty and inventory‐related parameters further strengthen this effect. Second, if the manufacturer and retailer can reach an agreement on a proper percentage of the revenues that the manufacturer pays to the retailer, the SWS mode would be a better choice for both of them. This research provides new insights for the adoption of the SWS strategy.

Purpose: We use the spread of the home country’s culture into the host country as a cultural distance bridging strategy (CDBS), examines the effect of the CDBS on host country partners’ trust in multinational enterprises (MNEs) as well as the moderating effects of diplomatic relationships and social ties (business and political ties). Design/methodology/approach: This research employs ordinary least squares regression analysis to examine data obtained from 127 managers working for subsidiaries of 110 Chinese MNEs. Findings: The results demonstrate that the home country’s CDBS increases the trust of the host country’s partner in MNEs. This impact becomes stronger when the home and host countries have developed good diplomatic relationships and when the MNEs have established extensive business ties in the host country. Originality/value: The study highlights the effectiveness of CDBS in enhancing the trust of host-country partners in MNEs and sheds new light on the research about international business (IB) on how to foster trust between collaborative enterprises. It further enriches the understanding of trust relationships among MNEs by exploring the moderating effects of diplomatic and social relationships.