Power in distribution channels — Supplier assortment strategy for balancing power

Preferred customer status, supplier satisfaction and their contingencies

“…In summary, the studies showed that dependency and power are contingencies, but have different effects/logics and need a clear distinction in research. Hence, the findings support the argument that power and dependency are crucial and separate relational factors, which both follow different logics in affecting the behavior of partners in buyer-supplier relationships (Chen et al, 2016a;Huo, Wang, Zhao, & Schuh, 2016;Rehme et al, 2016;Sturm & Antonakis, 2015).…”

“…Most notably the often-cited Emerson (1962) confused the two concepts, who argued that the dependence of one party is equal to the power of the other party. As discussed sporadically in literature, there is a need to conceptually distinguish the two concepts, since they follow different logics (Rehme, Nordigården, Ellström, & Chicksand, 2016). Whereas dependency is commonly defined as control over valuable resources, power is usually referred to exerting influence over others or overcoming resistance (Sturm & Antonakis, 2015).…”

“…Accordingly, dependence is commonly defined as a structural attribute of a relationship, whereas power implies a conscious action of one party. Therefore, assessing the effects of both power and dependence as different constructs is often recommended by power scholars (Rehme et al, 2016;Sturm & Antonakis, 2015). Similar to the research concerning dependency, the study of power has not yet reached elaborated scrutiny in supplier satisfaction and preferred customer literature.…”

Total value in business relationships: exploring the link between power and value appropriation

“…As originally illustrated by Robert Dahl (1957), coercive power is the ability of one actor to force someone else to do something that they would not otherwise do. From a business relationship perspective, power is often defined as one firm's ability to influence another firm (Asare et al, 2016;Rehme et al, 2016). In addition, it has been noted that power is relative, that it is not like money, for example, as it cannot be accumulated and no single firm has power in all situations (Pfeffer, 1981;Ireland, 2005).…”

“…This is because it is likely that the more powerful party in the relationship will appropriate a greater proportion of the available value (see Chicksand, 2013;2015, Rehme et al 2016). …”