Exchange relationships and interfirm power in channels of distribution

Conclusion The article by Weitz and Jap in this volume makes a significant contribution to the marketing literature, as it enhances our understanding of relationship marketing in channels of distribution. Our commentary was designed to elaborate on important issues raised by Weitz and Jap. We hope it generates interest in channel relationships that are in trouble, leads channel researchers to consider alternative channel contexts when formulating and testing theory, and motivates a more open and positive view of interfirm power and its use. His research, teaching, and consulting efforts focus on the structuring and management of channels of distribution. He is a frequent contributor to leading research journals and has won several awards for his teaching. He has consulted for such companies as AT&T, Carnation, General Electric, General Motors, Hewlett-Packard, Honeywell, IBM, Intel, Merck, 3M, Northrop, TRW, and Weyerhaeuser. Before joining USC in 1984, he served on the faculty at the University of Illinois. His research and teaching interests focus on the structure and coordination of channels of distribution and on services marketing. Prior to his admittance in the doctoral program, Kersi worked in India for Software Research Corporation as a software developer and at Citibank. His dissertation proposal has just been awarded a grant by the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Research on Contracts and the Structure of Enterprise.     

Price as a quality cue in industrial buying

Given the uneven nature of research findings in the price-quality literature, it appears that generalization from consumer research to the industrial sector is questionable. Thus the present research was undertaken to examine the attribution of quality by industrial purchasers based on extrinsic cues such as price. The results of this study suggest that while extrinsic cues may play a role in the assessment of quality by industrial purchasers, there is no evidence that price is such a cue.     

Ethnodomination in the channels of distribution of third world nations

Ethnodomination refers to the predominance of a particular ethnic group in a channel of distribution. While ethnodomination has been virtually ignored in the marketing literature, it is a fact of life in many third world marketing systems. Overseas Chinese dominate the trade of rice and pineapples in the Philippines, Hindu Sikhs dominate the trade of cloth in Afghanistan, the Otavalo Indians dominate the trade of handwoven textiles in Ecuador, and so on. International marketers need to be aware of ethnodomination for several reasons. First, ethnic marketers can offer costeffective communication and distribution skills for use in cooperative marketing programs. In return, international marketers can ofter them access to marketing management information systems and alternative sources of finance. Also, ethnic marketers are often subject to political and legal harassment which may make them more risky partners. Finally, they may have cultural practices that are quite different from the cultural practices of the rest of their host country.     

Satisfying customer expectations: The effect on conflict and repurchase intentions in industrial marketing channels

The article investigates how the marketer’s fulfillment of middleman expectations impacts upon conflict and repurchase intentions in industrial channels. The nature and key determinants of expectations in industrial buyer behavior are examined. Discrepancy theory is used to assess the (dis)confirmation of expectations process. A series of hypotheses are developed and tested in a large manufacturing and distribution network engaged in the marketing of fluid power products. Results suggest a direct causal effect of (dis) confirmed expectations on repurchase intentions and on conflict, and that the effect of expectations on repurchase intentions is not modified by the creation of conflict. Managerial implications are drawn.     

皖江示范区产业承接战略研究

皖江城市带承接产业转移示范区是安徽参与长三角分工合作的一个重要载体,也是一个重点;既能加快安徽的发展,又可以为长三角地区经济结构调整产业升级提供广阔的空间。文章对皖江城市与长三角区域合作的经验、皖江示范区新时期新阶段的承接战略进行了探讨。     

咸阳市产业结构与经济增长关系的实证研究

通过对2000—2012年咸阳市产业结构和经济增长关系进行实证研究,结果表明:这一期间,对咸阳市经济增长拉动作用最大的是第二产业,产业每增长1%会引起GDP增长0.524%,第二产业对经济增长的贡献要明显高于全省整体水平,第一产业稍低于全省水平,第三产业则明显低于全省水平。未来在继续壮大第二产业的同时,更应该深挖咸阳自身的资源优势,抓住大西安建设的历史机遇,加快现代农业和第三产业的发展速度。     

Two sides to attitudinal commitment: The effect of calculative and loyalty commitment on enforcement mechanisms in distribution channels

Previous conceptualizations of attitudinal commitment are extended by considering two very different components of a manufacturer's attachment to an independent channel intermediary. Relying on commitment theory, a model is developed that describes how attitudinal commitment may reside in either the instrumental or the social strain of a manufacturer's relationship with its distributor. For each strain, the developmental role played by key facets of the channel setting—relative dependence, pledges, and trust—are shown. Furthermore, the nature of the attachment bond is posited to motivate very different governance mechanisms as the distribution agreement is enforced by either social or contractual means. Empirical support for the model demonstrates that an expanded view of attitudinal commitment is important in understanding the complex nature of attachment in channel relationships. David I. Gilliland is an assistant professor of marketing at Colorado State University. He received his Ph.D. in marketing from Georgia State University. He has published articles on governance and control of domestic and international channel relationships in the Journal of Marketing, Industrial Marketing Management, and other journals. Daniel C. Bello is the Round Table Research Professor of Marketing at Georgia State University. His research interests include distribution strategy in domestic and international channel systems. He has published widely in professional journals and currently serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Marketing, the Journal of International Marketing, the Journal of Business Research, and the Journal of Marketing Management (United Kingdom).     

The impact of transportation deregulation in the united states on Canadian—U.S. distribution channels

During the 1978-80 period the United States deregulated its transportation industry. Common carriers, through increased reward and expert power, can now perform a more dominant role in the distribution channel. Because of major differences created in the regulatory environment of the U.S. and Canada, deregulation has also had an impact on the distribution channels between the two countries. It is evident horizontal competition between U.S. and Canadian carriers, and between shippers for both domestic and export markets in the respective countries has increased. Another major result of deregulation has been that Canadian shippers and carriers engaged in international traffic to the U.S., even though they have been in complicance with Canadian law, have found themselves subject to the extra-territorial reach of the U.S. anti-trust legislation.     

Societal marketing: A strategic view of the marketing mix in the 1970's

The marketing environment has experienced dramatic changes in the late 1960's and the 1970's. This article deals with the design of the marketing mix in the 1970's to meet the demand of its changing environment. It encompasses a conprehensive review of the marketing literature pertinent to the subject.     

民间行业组织发展研究--国家与社会关系的视角

民间行业组织的发展壮大,作为民主政治的素材,近年来受到学界的广泛关注,但对其存在的不足亦应给予足够的重视。文章将行业组织置于国家与社会关系的框架之中,从合法化机制、沟通渠道、监督机制等方面阐述其存在的问题并提出相应的政策建议。     

The contingent effect of specific asset investments on joint action in manufacturer-supplier relationships: An empirical test of the moderating role of reciprocal asset investments, uncertainty, and trust

Prior research provides evidence that manufacturer investment of specific assets dedicated to a particular supplier (manufacturer asset specificity) is an antecedent of joint action in manufacturer-supplier relationships. The authors build on prior research to identify several variables that moderate the effect of manufacturer asset specificity o on joint action. Drawing from transaction cost analysis and relational exchange theory, the authors propose a conceptual model that explicates the moderating role of three contextual variables: specific asset investments by the supplier (reciprocal asset investments), manufacturer decision-making uncertainty, and manufacturer trust in the supplier. Consistent with their hypotheses, results from a survey of firms in three SIC codes show that decision-making uncertainty and trust enhance the effect of manufacturer asset specificity on joint action. Contrary to expectation, however, the moderating effect of reciprocal asset investments was not significant. Theoretical and managerial implications of the results are discussed. Ashwin W. Joshi is an associate professor of marketing at the University of Calgary. He received his Ph.D. from Queen’s University (Canada). His research has been published inJournal of Business Research, Psychology and Marketing, Journal of Marketing Channels, Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing, as well as in many conference proceedings. Rodney L. Stump is an associate professor of marketing at Morgan State University. He received his Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University. His research has appeared inJournal of Marketing Research, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing, Industrial Marketing Management, The International Executive, and other journals. He has also presented his research at numerous national and international conferences.     

Service quality, trust, specific asset investment, and expertise: Direct and indirect effects in a satisfaction-loyalty framework

This study proposes an integrated framework explaining loyalty responses in high-involvement, high-service luxury product markets. The model is rooted in the traditional (attribute satisfaction)-(overall satisfaction)-(loyalty) chain but explicitly incorporates facility versus interactive service quality, trust, specific asset investment (SAI), and product-market expertise. The authors focus on disentangling the direct versus indirect effects of model constructs on attitudinal versus behavioral loyalty responses. The results support the traditional chain but also show loyalty can be increased by building a trustworthy image and creating exchange-specific assets. The authors found that overall satisfaction is the precursor both to loyalty and to building SAI. Finally, consumers have different costs in reducing adverse selection problems with information, and thus the negative effect of product-market expertise on behavioral loyalty needs to be controlled if the direct versus indirect effects of model constructs on loyalty are to be disentangled. Jyh-Shen Chiou (jschiou@nccu.edu.tw) (PhD in marketing, Michigan State University) is a professor of marketing in the Department of International Business at National Chengchi University, Taipei. His research interests include satisfaction and loyalty, strategic marketing, and international marketing. His work has been published in theJournal of Service Research, Psychology & Marketing, theEuropean Journal of Marketing, theJournal of Interactive Marketing, Information & Management, theJournal of Social Psychology, theJournal of Business Logistics, Advances in Consumer Research, and other scholarly journals. He has taught courses in marketing research, strategic marketing, and global marketing. Cornelia Droge (droge@msu.edu) is a professor of marketing in the Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management, the Eli Broad Graduate School of Management, at Michigan State University. Her research interests focus on satisfaction/ loyalty and strategic marketing (especially areas related to the interface of marketing with logistics, supply chain, and operations). Her work has appeared inManagement Science, theStrategic Management Journal, theJournal of Marketing Research, theJournal of Business Logistics, theJournal of Operations Management, theJournal of Product Innovation Management, and other scholarly journals. She is also coauthor of three books.     

从战略联盟到企业集群:大中型企业竞合的新选择

在比较战略联盟与企业集群异同的基础上，从降低合作成本、拓展合作领域、提高创新能力以及降低进出风险等四个方面，分析了集群化发展对于大中型企业的必要性。同时指出了地方政府在大中型企业集群的形成和发展中主要应发挥四个方面的作用。     

The role of relationship quality in the stratification of vendors as perceived by customers

Companies implement preferred supplier programs to reduce their vendor relationships to a reasonable few. Consequently, vendors who do not effectively manage their customer-based relationships are strong candidates for deletion from a customer’s list of long-term suppliers. The emergence of preferred supplier programs suggests that businesses are beginning to formally recognize and reward differences between their qualified vendors. Vendor stratification is proposed as a framework for understanding the evolution of preferred vendor programs. With the growing interest in relationship marketing, a study was conducted to empirically examine the extent to which businesses use relationship quality perceptions to differentiate their qualified vendors. The findings support the notion that relationship quality is a higher-order construct that can be used as a basis for developing vendor stratification systems. The article concludes with a discussion of the managerial and research implications of the study findings. Michael J. Dorsch (Ph.D., University of Arkansas) is an associate professor of marketing at Clemson University. His research has been published in theJournal of the Academy of Marketing Science, theJournal of Business Research, and theJournal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, among others. His research interests include issues concerning relationship marketing and marketing research methods. Scott R. Swanson (Ph.D., University of Kentucky) is an assistant professor of marketing at East Carolina University. He previously spent 9 years as a purchasing executive and his research interets include issues related to services marketing, atmospherics, and marketing ethics. His research has been published in theJournal of Business to Business Marketing, theInternational Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, AMA Educators’ Proceedings, andRetailing: Theories and Practices for Today and Tomorrow. Scott W. Kelley (D.B.A., University of Kentucky) is an associate professor of marketing. His research has been published in theJournal of the Academy of Marketing Science, theJournal of Retailing, theJournal of Business Research, theJournal of Advertising, and theJournal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, among others. His research interests include issues concerning services marketing and marketing ethics.     

我国政府管理城市房地产存在的突出问题及其原因分析

在城市土地国有的制度安排下,城市房地产问题的真正症结在于政府管理。当前我国政府管理城市房地产存在错位、越位和缺位等突出问题,原因是多方面的,其中理论误导是政府管理问题的直接原因,体制不健全是政府管理问题的重要原因,制度缺陷是政府管理问题的主要原因,价值观扭曲则是政府管理问题的深层次原因。     

Historical trade integration: globalization and the distance puzzle in the long twentieth century

In times of ongoing globalization, the notion of geographic neutrality expects the impact of distance on trade to become ever more irrelevant. However, over the last three decades a wide range of studies has found an increase in the importance of distance during the second half of the twentieth century. This paper tries to reframe this discussion by characterizing the effect of distance over a broader historical point of view. To make maximal use of the available data, we use a state-space model to construct a bilateral index of historical trade integration. Our index doubles to quadruples yearly data availability before 1950, allowing us to expand the period of analysis to 1880–2011. This implies that the importance of distance as a determinant of the changing trade pattern can be analyzed for both globalization waves. In line with O’Rourke (Politics and trade: lessons from past globalisations. Technical Report, Bruegel, 2009) and Jacks et al. (J Int Econ 83(2):185–201, 2011), we find that the first wave was marked by a strong, continuing decrease in the effect of distance. Initially, the second globalization wave started out similarly, but from the 1960s onward the importance of distance starts increasing. Nevertheless, this change is dwarfed by the strong decrease preceding it.     

基于资源观的战略联盟风险及其防范

以信任为基础的战略联盟是企业获取竞争优势、实现快速成长的一种重要战略。然而,由于战略联盟的组织松散性,使得联盟被视作一种高风险战略。本文基于资源的观点讨论了战略联盟的关系风险和绩效风险,并给出了规避风险的策略。     

开放经济条件下江苏农业结构战略性调整的对策措施

江苏既是一个经济大省，又是一个农业大省，在开放经济条件下，江苏的农业发展面临着国内外市场的双重挑战，因此，必须充分发挥江苏农业的比较优势，加快农业结构的战略性调整，其中特别重要的是：应当以主导产业为依托，推进农业产业化经营；大力发展名、特、优等地方品种，使之成为壮大县域特色经济的亮点；大力发展外向型农业，确立江苏农业的国际竞争优势；同时，还要构建开放经济条件下促进江苏农业结构战略性调整的保障体系。     

Reassessing the bank–industry relationship in Italy, 1913–1936: a counterfactual analysis

Until the banking reform in 1936, banks and industrial companies in Italy were strongly intertwined (both in terms of ownership and interlocking directorates). Using Imita.db—a large dataset containing data on over 300,000 directors of Italian joint-stock companies—this paper analyzes what would have happened to the Italian corporate network in the years 1913, 1921, 1927 and 1936 if the German-type universal banks and their directors would have not been there. Our test shows that new centers of the system would have emerged (financial, electricity, and phone companies), confirming the interconnected nature of the Italian capitalism. We also analyze two industries (textiles and iron and steel) characterized by different labor-to-capital intensities to check for sectoral differences. Contrary to conventional wisdom, we find that local banks were important in funding both industries.