Working hard for long‐distance relationships: Geographic proximity and relationship‐specific investments
研究发现，距离客户更远的供应商会做出更多关系专用投资，尤其是在客户容易更换供应商或信息环境不透明时。新航线开通带来的距离变化表明这种关系可能是因果关系，且高投资有助于维持远距离合作并提升企业价值。
Abstract Suppliers that are farther away from their customers make more relationship‐specific investments (RSI). This association is more pronounced when it is less costly for the customer to switch to alternative suppliers and when the supplier operates in relatively opaque information environments. Using the introduction of new airline routes as an exogenous shock to the distance between supply chain partners, we show that the relation between supplier RSI and distance may be causal. We also provide evidence that suppliers with larger RSI are better able to maintain long‐distance business relationships and are associated with higher firm value. These findings suggest an important dimension of supplier commitment: Suppliers use RSI as a signal of their willingness to fulfill on‐going implicit claims.