Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to test the validity and reliability of a META-RELQUAL construct in Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish business relationships.

Design/methodology/approach: A total of 1,500 companies were involved. The Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish sampling frames each consisted of the 500 largest companies based upon revenue across multiple industries. The response rate was 38 percent.

Findings: The goodness-of-fit measures of the tested measurement model of the META-RELQUAL construct were all found to be satisfactory within the recommended guidelines. The recommended guidelines for convergent, discriminant and nomological validity, as well as for construct reliability, were all well met. It is concluded that the measurement properties of the META-RELQUAL construct applied in Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish business relationships indicate acceptable validity and reliability.

Research limitations/implications: The tested META-RELQUAL construct appears accurate for those Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish business relationships studied, but only further testing and comparisons will verify whether it can be seen as a valid, reliable measurement for other countries and their companies' business relationships. Suggestions for further research are provided.

Practical implications: This international study is of managerial interest to executives since it provides a framework of constructs to be considered in corporate efforts to maintain satisfactory levels of relationship quality in Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish business relationships. It may also be applicable in other business relationships and in other countries.

Originality/value: This Nordic comparative study of a META-RELQUAL construct contributes to theory since it outlines a higher-order construct and measurement instrument benefitting other researchers and practitioners. It appears unique in making an international comparison of a tested measurement model of the META-RELQUAL construct. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.