Managing supplier-retailer relationships: From institutional and task environment perspectives

This study develops an integrated model of managing channel relationships that involves task and institutional environment perspectives. Using survey data from automobile dealers in China, the authors provide empirical evidence to demonstrate the utility of the legitimacy-based institutional environment perspective in clarifying channel relationship issues, which have been considered mostly only from an economic efficiency-based task environment approach. As the institutional environment perspective's factors, imposition asymmetry and bypassing have indirect impacts on trust in supplier and the level of conflict in a channel relationship. As the task environment standpoint's factors, explicit contracts and supplier's transaction-specific investments (TSIs) are posited to have direct effects on trust in supplier and the level of conflict, however, the hypothesized relationship between supplier's TSIs and the level of conflict is not supported. The results also indicate both building a retailer's trust in its supplier and lowering the level of conflict lead to improved relationship performance.     

The power roots and drivers of infidelity in international business relationships

We propose a conceptual model of the power roots and drivers of infidelity in exporter-importer (E-I) working relationships. Based on data collected from 262 Greek export manufacturers, we confirm that the exercise of coercive power in the E-I working relationship by the exporter has positive effects on distance, opportunism, and uncertainty, as opposed to the exercise of non-coercive power that exhibit negative effects. In turn, distance, opportunism, and uncertainty each contribute toward driving infidelity in the relationship by the importer. The relationship length and relationship status were also found to have a control effect on infidelity.     

苏拉:彰显科枝的力量专访苏拉纺织系统(苏州)有限公司总经理徐林峰先生

<中国纺织>:苏拉宣称苏拉成功要素之一就是技术革新领先,那么苏拉如何看待技术创新在市场竞争中的重要性?苏拉怎样做到在纺纱设备技术创新方面始终保有绝对优势?     

The role of sales representatives in cross-cultural business-to-business relationships

This study responds to the call for the “internationalization of sales research” by collecting data from 160 international buyers spanning 33 countries and regions. Based on survey data, archival sales records and cultural-distance indices, this research examines the performance-enhancing effect of sales rep-owned commitment as well as its antecedents under varying degrees of cultural distance. Our results show a strong and direct impact of rep-owned commitment, independent of the effect of firm-owned commitment, on enhancing performance indicators including sales volume, importers' purchase share, and importers' future purchase intentions. Moreover, we find two important antecedents to rep-owned commitment: benevolence trust and capability trust. Interestingly, cultural distance moderates the effects of benevolence and capability trust on rep-owned commitment: the larger the cultural distance, the stronger the effect of benevolence trust but the weaker the effect of capability trust. We conclude with theoretical and managerial implications to international marketing research and practice.     

The role of program fairness in asymmetrical channel relationships

Managing distributor compliance with manufacturer-initiated programs is critical to both program success and relationship enhancement. This study examines how a manufacturer might better motivate distributors with varying levels of dependence. Previous research suggests that two variables influence distributor compliance: economic incentives and dependence dynamics. Drawing from fairness heuristic theory, this study extends previous research by investigating the role of fairness in affecting compliance and long-term relationships. The authors observe the contingent effect of fairness along various levels of distributor dependence. In the context of a naturally occurring program, the authors collect data from a focal manufacturer's distribution channel and find that (1) fairness perceptions have significant impacts on both compliance and relational outcomes, (2) the efficacy of program fairness declines as distributor dependence increases, and (3) distributor dependence increases the effect of economic incentives on compliance. The authors discuss the theoretical and managerial implications of these findings.     

梯级电站运行调度与经济主体利益协调分析

在水电梯级运行调度中,事关经济主体利益和工程防洪安全.本文以A、B两个电站的业主因水位衔接问题发生的利益冲突为例,分析了冲突发生的根源在于水位的变化引起了多元化主体间利益分配的不均衡,同时通过对协商、协调、复议等程序措施解决过程的剖析,得出了一些有益的启示.     

The involvement and influence of emotions in problematic business relationships

This paper discusses emotions as mediators in business-to-business relationships which is an understudied topic. Yet within consumer marketing, emotions have been widely studied, and calls have been made for business relationship research to take account of managers' emotions. This study addresses the gap by firstly establishing the relevance of emotions in problematic business relationships and secondly showing how emotions are a major component in determining the outcomes of the problematic relationships. Interview data in the form of narratives describing problematic relationships is analyzed and identifies both the emotions experienced by participants and their role in the future course of the business relationship.     

The power of local information

The author argues that telecommunications efforts too often tend to stress distant connections. The local informative contacts are important, and should be given a chance in future systems. The argument presented to support this view includes the specific example of the TERESE project (Telecommunications and Rural Development in Sweden). This publically funded project uses narrowband communication, including computer conferencing, to stress economic and social identity in a region in the far north of Sweden. Details of continuing regional efforts are given.     

The emergent role of value representation in managing business relationships

This paper explores value processes, their effects, and their management in business relationships. Over time, scholars progressively moved their interest from the value of the objects exchanged to the value of business relationships. However, how value is related to interactive processes that characterize business relationships still remained unclear. With this scope, the paper brings to the fore recent studies on the role of actors' perceptions of value and the interactive features of the business context. The empirical research involves 77 interviews carried out over two years with actors internal and external to the Mikron Tool's business network, a Swiss leader in manufacturing high-precision tools. The study shows that four key value processes – value creation, value communication, value measurement, and value appropriation – determine specific consequences that must be managed to achieve effective business relationships. Moreover, empirical evidences highlight the relevance of value representation in affecting the four value processes. The study contributes to an improved understanding of value management in interactive and interdependent business contexts. Also, it draws attention to the need for a better integration between the traditional economic view of value and recent insights from the fields of organizational psychology and sociology.     

The dual effects of perceived unfairness on opportunism in channel relationships

Opportunism has long-term negative consequences for channel relationships. The extant research has traditionally focused on economic forces in studying opportunism. However, social exchange theory stresses the role of social forces in shaping opportunistic behavior. In this study, we integrate transaction cost economics and justice theory to theorize and examine the impact of ‘perceived unfairness’ on distributor opportunism. We uncover the ‘dual’ effects of perceived unfairness on opportunism, i.e., 1) directly enhancing opportunism and 2) aggravating (positively moderating) the effects of economic forces on opportunism. Matched data on 247 supplier-distributor dyads in India provide empirical support for our theoretical model and research hypotheses. We find differential effects of the three dimensions of perceived unfairness (distributive, procedural, and interactional) on opportunism. We discuss the implications of our findings for theory and practice and present avenues for future research.     

The communicative power of expert systems

'Expert Systems' or intelligent knowledge-based computer systems can be expected to have a considerable impact in the near future on the dissemination and use of technical expertise in practical situations. The potential benefits of such an approach to decision-making in applied science domains, for example, in anti-corrosive coating selection, are considerable. This paper argues, therefore, that a premium must be placed on such a system's performance as a communicator.
The structure and behaviour of a classical 'production system' are briefly described, and the communicative ability of such a system is analysed. This critical examination of a production system's question-answering capabilities highlights the inherent restrictions which the structure of this kind of system places on its explanatory and justificatory powers. An outline design for a less inhibitive structure is presented.
It is argued that the form in which the system provides 'answers' after the completion of a problem-solving session, may not yield sufficient appropriate information to the user, and a possible alternative view of a 'solution schema' is proposed.     

Conflict-coordination learning in marketing channel relationships: The distributor view

Although a fairly large body of literature exists on channel conflict management, little research has been done from an interorganizational conflict-learning perspective. This study explores how channel members can use conflict-coordination learning (CCL), as a conflict resolution mechanism, which leads to improved capabilities, which in turn can enhance co-created value in marketing channel relationships from a distributor point of view. Drawing on both a resource-based view of the firm, an absorptive capacity perspective, and an interorganizational learning approach, we propose that conflict values (positive conflict attitudes and avoidance of conflict behaviors) can be viewed as firm resources that directly influence CCL, which in turn can enhance co-created value (joint marketing strategy quality and joint profit performance). To explore these issues, we developed and tested our hypotheses with data from 101 distributors within the food industry in Taiwan. As predicted, we find that positive conflict attitudes are positively related to CCL, and that avoidance of conflict behaviors is negatively related to CCL. Furthermore, the results indicate that joint marketing strategy quality mediates the relationship between CCL and joint profit performance. Specifically, under high positive conflict attitudes, CCL strongly appears related to joint marketing strategy quality.     

The power of dimensional analysis in production systems design

Dimensional Analysis (DA) is a well-known methodology in physics, chemistry and other traditional engineering areas. In its simplest form, DA is used to check the meaningfulness of a set of equations (dimensional homogeneity). In the last century, the dimensional theory has been profoundly investigated: its highest achievement is the Buckingham theorem (or pi-theorem), which states that any equation modelling a physical problem can be rearranged in terms of dimensionless ratios, thus saving variables to be handled, and especially enriching the inner physical knowledge of the studied phenomenon.In this paper we investigate how DA can be applied to Operations Management (OM) topics and which benefits it can bring to researchers in this area. A literature review is performed to clarify the main operative issues regarding DA application (assumptions and limitations); then existing applications of DA to OM are explored, pointing out that few researchers have tried to apply this methodology in the OM research field.Stemming from this analysis, we applied the pi-theorem to the design of a Flexible Manufacturing System. A complex problem, requiring 13 dimensional quantities to be expressed, is first studied via simulation; then DA is applied, reducing the number of variables to 9 dimensionless ratios. The reduced problem has a suitable size to be analytically explored and a regression model is formulated which, compared with the simulation study, offers the same precision in analysing the FMS behaviour, being more compact and powerful. This application shows the potential of DA in OM research, and will hopefully draw the attention of researches to this powerful, but unfamiliar and therefore neglected, methodology.     

The relationships among stock indices on asian-pacific exchanges

This article investigates the systematic covariations between stock prices in nine Asian and Pacific countries. The data used were daily closing prices of major indices on exchanges located in Tokyo, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, Taipei, Manila, and Bangkok from 4 January, 1980 through 31 March, 1984. Using spectral analysis, the results indicate that most prices move simultaneously, even in the context of hourly fluctuations.     

The antecedents and consequences of organizational and personal commitment in business service relationships

This paper explores the potential for business service customers to form separate bonds of commitment with the service firm and the service representative. It examines the role of the individual and identifies six potential antecedents to each type of commitment. It also proposes that both types of commitment will influence the degree of relational exchange between the customer and the service firm. The hypotheses are tested using multiple regression and data from a survey of marketing research managers. The results support the majority of the hypotheses.     

Trigger issues in emerging relationships

Classic IMP research always emphasizes the important role of actor bonds. Relationships involve the development of social bonds over time between two or more actors, and in most relationships there is great variation in terms of the time it takes for these actors to develop perceptions about each other. Interestingly, however, there is much less research about how business relationships come into being. ‘Business relationship emerging flow’ describes a potential process by which business relationships come into being, from a starting situation through the trigger issues which motivate the matching process, to the establishment of new relationships. This paper places its focus on the trigger issues which could boost emerging relationships. The birth of an important relationship with a Hungarian company is discussed using retrospective interviews with parties, suppliers and customers. For deeper understanding of these trigger issues and to make them more tangible and applicable, a theoretical, logical framework is developed using two dimensions: space and time. Trigger issues are analyzed along these two dimensions. The paper closes by considering theoretical and managerial applications and further research issues.