When Does Relational Exchange Matters? Social Bond,Trust and Satisfaction

Purpose: The extant literature on business-to-business relationship has shown that trust, relationship duration, and social bond are the key drivers of relationship satisfaction. Notwithstanding, studies on the examination of when and why these variables translate into successful relationship are still scarce and need further exploration. This research investigates the conditions under which trust and social bonds influence satisfaction in a business-to-business relationship.

Design/methodology/approach: The data were collected from 159 footwear producers using a structured questionnaire. Four hypotheses were developed and tested using hierarchical multiple regression.

Findings: The authors found support for all hypotheses. Social bonds and longevity are crucial in enhancing supplier relationship satisfaction. Likewise, the role of social bonds in inducing supplier satisfaction heightens over time. However, the positive association between exchange partner trustworthiness and supplier satisfaction works well only in high degree of dependence situation.

Research limitations/implications: The study was based on the report on monadic data and cross-sectional design. Future research should adopt longitudinal design to overcome the shortcomings.

Theoretical implications: This study advances the social exchange theory (SET) by elucidating the condition in which social bonds and trust fail to produce relationship satisfaction. Social bonds fail to enhance relationship satisfaction at the beginning of the relationship. Moreover, trust alone cannot be good enough to boost relationship satisfaction in a lose dependence context.

Managerial implications: This study acclaimed a relationship-driven approach as the best choice for those firms who aspire to build a good relationship with their exchange partner. Managers should understand how and when to develop a strong social relationship with their trading partners, and recognize the situations in which to deal with honest and fair business partners in an exchange relationship.

Originality/Contribution: This is one of the very few studies, which have been conducted to investigate the conditions under which the relational variable influences satisfaction in a business-to-business relationships context. It expanded the boundary of the current literature as it investigated the moderating role of relationship duration and dependence in the relationship between relational constructs and relationship satisfaction.     

网络购物消费者信任环境、前因及营销启示

我国网络购物存在巨大的增长空间,而信任是网络购物平台上交易的主要问题,成为市场营销研究的热点之一。网络购物应加强网站管理以确保消费者信息安全和支付安全;提高网络购物平台的服务质量和产品质量以及加强物流配送管理。     

Consumer Trust and Satisfaction in the Formation of Consumer Loyalty Intentions in Transactional Exchange: The Case of a Mass Discount Retailer

Marketing relationships can be placed on a continuum from short, discrete transactions to ongoing brand relationships. The majority of recent work has focused on relational exchanges, with some scholars even suggesting early on that the marketing discipline was undergoing a paradigm shift from a transaction-based marketing perspective toward a relational exchange perspective. However, there has been a growing recognition that not all customers seek relational exchanges. Consequently, the current research considers customer relationship management from the less studied, but oft seen, perspective of transactional exchange. A study is presented using recent advances in structural equation modeling analyses, including Bayesian estimation methods and mediation analyses. We further consider the psychological processes underlying the formation of consumer loyalty based on pre- and post-purchase measurements taken over multiple time periods. We specifically hypothesize that consumer satisfaction judgments will fully mediate any influences of post-purchase trust judgments on future loyalty intentions. With American consumers’ trust in businesses at an all-time low, coupled with the recent trend that more and more brick-and-mortar retailers are at risk of “showrooming” for online retailers, there is an apparent need to also consider retail customers who see the value of relationship marketing only selectively.     

顾客满意度、企业营销战略与社会福利变化分析

随着买方市场的出现、信息管理技术的发展以及消费者主权意识的逐步形成,现代企业的营销发展与顾客满意度有着非常紧密的联系。在"顾客与企业共赢"模型基础上,只有系统地研究基于顾客满意度的现代企业营销战略选择问题,才能对"一对一"营销战略下的社会福利变化进行分析。     

The Effect of Interpersonal Trust,Need for Cognition,and Social Loneliness on Shopping,Information Seeking and Surfing on the Web

This study contends that certain personality traits of e-consumers have an affect on their shopping, surfing and information seeking behaviors on the Web. Specifically, it is proposed that e-consumers who are low on interpersonal trust are less likely to shop on the Web due to their heightened concerns with Web security. Similarly, an argument is made that e-consumers who enjoy cognitively demanding processing tasks are more likely to use the Web for information search. Finally, it is posited that social loners will be selectively drawn to Web surfing. Findings from an empirical study are presented which support these assertions. Implications of this study for marketers and future researchers are discussed.     

The Impact of Social Darwinism Perception,Status Anxiety,Perceived Trust of People,and Cultural Orientation on Consumer Ethical Beliefs

This study intends to explore the effects of political, social and cultural values on consumers’ ethical beliefs regarding questionable consumption behaviors. The variables examined include status anxiety, social Darwinism perception, perceived trust of people, and cultural orientation. Based on a field survey in Taiwan, the results showed that consumers with low ethical beliefs have higher perception of social Darwinism and status anxiety than consumers possess neutral and high ethical beliefs. The result also showed that the neutral ethics group had higher trust on people than the low ethics groups. Finally, the high ethics group expressed significantly higher perception of vertical collectivism than those consumers of the low and neutral ethics group. Jyh-shen Chiou (Ph.D. in Marketing, Michigan State), is professor of Marketing, Dept. of International Business, College of Commerce, National Chengchi University, Taiwan. His research focuses on consumer behavior and strategic marketing. His work has been published in Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Interactive Marketing, Journal of Service Research European Journal of Marketing, Psychology & Marketing, Journal of Social Psychology, etc. Lee-Yun Pan, is assistant professor of marketing, Dept. of Business Administration, Feng Chia University.     

Exploring the Effect of Store Characteristics and Interpersonal Trust on Purchase Intention in the Context of Online Social Media Marketing

This article explores the effect of store characteristics and interpersonal trust on formation of attitude and intention to purchase from online stores in the context of online social media marketing. Store Brand Knowledge, Store Reputation, Perceived Store Size, and Perceived Store Risk have been considered as antecedents of trust. Based on existing literature, a conceptual model is proposed and empirically tested with a sample (n = 424) of online social media users with the help of partial least square path modeling. This study is among the very few empirical investigations done in the context of trust in online social media marketing and focuses only on consumer-perceived store-controlled factors as antecedents of trust.     

绿色营销、公益营销和社会营销的比较分析

绿色营销、公益营销和社会营销都是对传统营销观念的发展和修正,符合企业发展的基本规律。其中社会营销的内涵最为丰富,是和传统营销观念相对应的一种新的营销观念;绿色营销源于社会营销;公益营销是社会营销观念指导下的营销方式的创新;三种既有密切联系又各有侧重。不同的营销形式,在为企业营销行为提供新的选择的同时,也给企业提出了新的社会要求。一个理性的企业,在营销形式的选择上,应结合企业自身的具体情况,根据企业生产经营的发展阶段和企业所处的内外部特定环境,科学理性的选择有效的营销行为。     

Relationship Marketing and Consumers: A Social Dilemmas Approach

In this article a Social Dilemmas approach is taken toward relationship marketing, and consumer and seller behavior. This approach offers several advantages. It explicitly takes into account the dilemma that results from the differences in interests between consumers and sellers, as well as their interdependency and tendency toward opportunistic behavior. It focuses simultaneously on the two parties in dynamic interaction. It therefore provides a more generic and encompassing perspective than the common consumer behavior perspective, or the one-sided emphasis in marketing on seller activities. In contrast to a non-marketing (or selling) orientation of sellers, both transaction and relationship marketing seek a cooperative win-win solution to the consumer-seller dilemma. This requiresboth parties to compromise and cooperate and refrain from non-cooperation. Cooperative and non-cooperative consumer and seller behaviors are described. In addition, the SD-approach suggests some factors that influence interactions, transactions and relationships between consumers and sellers and may stimulate cooperation in real-life commercial dilemma situations. Some implications for marketing and consumer behavior theory and research, and marketing practice are discussed.     

Country-of-Origin Effects and Global Brand Trust: A First Look

ABSTRACT

This article reports the results of a global survey that explored the relationship between country of origin and brand trust in 22 product categories. The product categories of interest ranged from high involvement, durable goods (refrigerators, washing machines) to low involvement, fast moving consumer goods (chocolate bars, yogurt, disposable batteries). Respondents included consumers from the United States, Nepal, India, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria. Country-of-origin effects yielded the research's most interesting finding: Global brands might have a regional, or meso level, component which brand trust has uncovered for the first time.     

Trust and Dialogue: Theoretical Approaches to Ethics Auditing

The aim of this paper is to put forward an ethical framework for the conceptualization and development of ethics audits, here understood as a catalyst for company dialogue and in general, for management of ethics in the company. Ethics auditing is understood as the opportunity and agreement to devise a system to inform on ethical corporate behavior. This system essentially aims to increase the transparency and credibility of the companys commitment to ethics. At the same time, the process of elaborating this system allows us to introduce the moral dimension into company actions and decisions, thereby completing a key dimension of the production, maintenance and development of trust capital. To this end, the following four steps are taken. First, we analyze the relation between ethics auditing and trust as a basic moral resource in the dialogue between the company and its various stakeholders. Second, we examine the social balance sheet as a precursor to ethics auditing and focus on what prevents it from going further. Third, we attempt to reconstruct the basic moral assumptions underlying the companys social responsibility from the discourse ethics approach. Finally, we present a methodological framework from which to carry out our proposal, which embraces two basic theoretical perspectives stakeholder theory and the values derived from discourse ethics as a normative framework.     

新消费者的消费行为研究与营销策略

把握和分析消费者的心理与行为是吸引消费者的制胜法宝。随着新经济时代的到来和消费者群体经济重要性的发展,我国消费者在心理与行为上发生了根本性的变化,呈现出一批新的消费者群体(简称"新消费者")。商家对新消费者资源的争夺使激烈的市场竞争日趋白热化。要想在竞争中立于不败之地,商家必须对他们加以重视,分析和研究他们的心理与行为,并据此采取有针对性的营销策略。     

产品伤害危机管理因素对消费者信任修复的影响研究

利用联合分析法,通过情景模拟调研,对产品伤害危机管理中的重要影响因素(如企业社会责任、企业响应策略、媒体效用以及时间)在不同危机严重程度(非常严重、中等程度、轻微程度)下对消费者信任修复造成的影响以及重要程度进行研究,结果表明,时间对于非常严重程度下的消费者信任修复最为重要,响应策略对于中等严重程度下的消费者信任修复最为重要,而企业社会责任对于轻微程度下的消费者信任修复最为重要。     

Well-being Marketing: An Ethical Business Philosophy for Consumer Goods Firms

In this article we build on the program of research in well-being marketing by further conceptualizing and refining the conceptual domain of the concept of consumer well-being (CWB). We then argue that well-being marketing is a business philosophy grounded in business ethics. We show how this philosophy is an ethical extension of relationship marketing (stakeholder theory in business ethics) and is superior to transactional marketing (a business philosophy grounded in the principles of consumer sovereignty). Additionally, we argue that well-being marketing is based on duty ethics concepts, specifically the duty of beneficence and non-maleficence. Subsequently, we show how the well-being concept guides marketing decisions for consumer goods firms.     

Attitudes Toward Consumer and Business Ethics Among Canadian and New Zealand Business Students: An Assessment of 28 Scenarios

Recent initiatives in business curricula have included emphases on global business and ethics. This paper combines these issues by comparing the ethical predisposition of business students in New Zealand with their Canadian counterparts. A sample of 360 students indicated that students in both countries generally hold high expectations for the behaviour of both business and consumers. Of the 28 scenarios evaluated, five exhibited significant differences between the two groups. In four cases, students from New Zealand expressed less tolerance for the questionable business practices, and in the other one the situation was reversed. Despite the relative congruence of attitudes exhibited by the students of the two countries, the fact that differences do exist is testimony to the increased risk inherent to international business.     

An Analysis of Consumer Complaints about Social Marketing Advertisements in Australia and New Zealand

While social marketers are rarely targeted in discussions of the ethics of advertising, we are increasingly becoming aware of the importance of ensuring that social marketing messages are developed and conveyed in an ethical fashion. The article reviews complaints made by members of the general public in Australia and New Zealand to the advertising regulatory bodies in those two countries for the five years 2000–2004; examining the number, type, and nature of these complaints – including the categories of advertising, and the types of appeals, which generate complaints from the general public in both countries. We find that, as for commercial advertising, there is a need for further research to explore “community standards” in relation to social marketing messages; and that there is a clear need for social marketers to consider consumer attitudes towards advertising when developing communication strategies and messages.     

消费文化的伦理话语

消费文化的伦理话语是消费社会的生活观念与社会关系在文化审美上的表现。作为消费社会的价值立法文本与阐释系统,其伦理内容主要表现为：文化经验的感觉主义表情;文化审美的享乐主义崇拜;生活实践的功利主义诉求。具体来说,感觉主义表现了消费文化文本的客体伦理构成;享乐主义言说着消费文化的主体伦理反应;功利主义则揭示了消费文化的伦理实体与基本价值范式。