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This article integrates relationship marketing and social network perspectives to develop and test a model that links objective sales performance with the informational and cooperative benefits that stem from relationship managers' (RMs') social capital structure (brokerage and density) and relations (formal and informal networks). The authors demonstrate the effect of cross-network and overlap-network synergies on performance. Data about both formal and informal networks of 464 employees, including 101 RMs, demonstrate that RMs' performance improves with cross-network synergy when informational benefits from wide-reaching, nonoverlapping ties in the informal network combine with the cooperative benefits of a densely interconnected formal network. In addition, the effects of formal and informal social capital structure on performance increase significantly when RMs have a high degree of network overlap between their formal and informal networks.

Previous research has portrayed buyer-supplier and supplier-supplier alliances as important mechanisms to foster learning and exchange efficiencies. Controversy remains, however, as to how these alliances interact. While some propose they reinforce one another (e.g. learning in horizontal ties generates positive spillovers to vertical ties), others propose a negative interplay (e.g. when increasing vertical-tie intensity, suppliers may weaken horizontal ties to avoid retaliation from buyers who wish to preserve bargaining power). We empirically test these competing views using survey data from the Brazilian auto-parts industry. In an attempt at reconciliation, we propose that the positive or negative interaction between vertical and horizontal alliances depends on the level of technological uncertainty of goods exchanged. Vertical ties seem to inhibit horizontal ties when technological uncertainty is low; when technological uncertainty is higher, vertical and horizontal ties do not seem to have any meaningful form of interaction. We discuss implications for theory and practice. Copyright (c) Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2007.

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There is an ongoing concern among managers and scholars: how can firms develop trust and achieve performance? Our paper aims to review the emerging perspective of trust and propose mechanisms to build trust in channel relationships. In the literature, we identified six mechanisms: calculative, affective, belief, embeddedness, continuity and capability. A central hypothesis focuses on the direct impact of these mechanisms on firm performance. We conducted a survey (n=132) in the Brazilian Distribution Market of agrochemical products. OLS regression estimation was employed to test the hypothesis. Results show the impact of the mechanisms of calculative, affective, belief on performance. The findings highlight that, even though environment leads to suspicion and doubts, managers seek trust relationships and try to develop them using a combination of few mechanisms to overcome difficulties and perform well.

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