Relationship marketing in supply chain: an empirical analysis in the Brazilian service sector

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to extend the scope of relationship marketing research in a service and developing market context. This is achieved through the development and testing of a theoretical model including antecedents (quality, opportunistic behavior and switching cost), mediators (satisfaction, trust and commitment) and consequences (propensity to maintain, cooperation and communication). Design/methodology/approach -The study comprises data collected from a range of service firms in a national survey conducted in a Brazilian service provider. The authors sent a cover letter, accompanied by an electronic questionnaire, to suppliers of a tourism company. Confirmatory factor analysis and partial least squares were used to test the model. Findings -The results show that trust and commitment have strong effects on the final outcome variables of propensity to maintain, cooperation and communication. Trust mediated two of the antecedents, i.e. transaction quality and opportunistic behavior. Commitment only mediated trust on the final outcomes. Practical implications -Managers of supply relationships are encouraged to develop trust to limit potential negative aspects of the relationship. Combined with trust, commitment is the second half of the two key relationship drivers and should also be fostered. Originality/value -The perspective of the supplier is a new perspective on the effects of trust and commitment. Contextually, a service provider in an emerging market, Brazil, provides unique extensions to the existing literature.

Opportunism and conflict as precursors of non-economic and economic satisfaction outcomes in seller–customer business relationships

“…It was during this time that the commitment-trust theory of Morgan and Hunt validated the necessity of securing the satisfaction of both parties before committing to a relationship can be secured (Morgan and Hunt 1994). Satisfaction has been widely researched as a critical factor in business relationships to secure a long-term orientation from a buyer's perspective (Morgan and Hunt 1994;Ruiz-Alba et al 2019;Svensson, Mysen, and Payan 2010;Theron, Terblanche, and Boshoff 2012;Vieira, Monteiro, and Veiga 2011;Voldnes, Grønhaug, and Nilssen 2012;Walter, Cleff, and Chu 2013). In the context of supplier-business relationship building, the exchange of benefits, the sharing of costs, and the securing of support between parties becomes vital to sustaining business relationships in the long term.…”

Geração de valor na cadeia de suprimentos: um teste empírico das funções diretas e indiretas no fomento de relacionamentos business to business

“…O instrumento on-line contou com 51 perguntas curtas voltadas especificamente às características comerciais, à qualidade do relacionamento e aos sentimentos e atitudes em relação à Organização Verdemar. As escalas usadas foram de 5 pontos, do tipo equilibradas e de resposta obrigatória, adaptadas de estudos anteriores (MORGAN; HUNT, 1994;VIEIRA et al, 2011;WALTER;RITTER;GEMÜNDEN, 2001). No estudo, a população estava representada por todos os fornecedores que mantinham relações de negociações com a Organização Verdemar Ltda.…”

“…Entretanto, satisfação não demonstrou impacto significante nos construtos consequentes, mostrando que, neste caso, um fornecedor satisfeito não engaja em comportamentos positivos em relação à Verdemar. Este resultado se coaduna com outros estudos na área de marketing de relacionamento (HUNT; MORGAN, 1996;VIEIRA;MONTEIRO;VEIGA, 2011) e se justifica à medida que, no ambiente de relacionamentos business to business, a satisfação, como um afeto mais efêmero e momentâneo, perde relevância perante os mediadores-chave do relacionamento, de característica mais perene e cumulativa, quais sejam: confiança e comprometimento. Tomando por base a significância estatística, afirma-se que os construtos mediadores foram responsáveis por 41,87% da variação de propensão a manter o relacionamento e 38,90% da variação de comunicação positiva, podendo ser considerados valores elevados de R2.…”

“…A gestão do relacionamento com fornecedores atualmente é uma grande vantagem competitiva no setor supermercadista, pois o desenvolvimento de bons relacionamentos com fornecedores de excelência se tornou uma prioridade para os varejistas (SEGRE, 2002). De fato, o reconhecimento da importância dos relacionamentos entre empresas no contexto da cadeia de suprimentos, ou o comércio business to business, tem despertado interesses acadêmicos e gerenciais (PUGA et al, 2007;VIEIRA;MONTEIRO;VEIGA, 2011).…”

The antecedents and postcedents of satisfaction in business-to-business relationships in South Africa

“…The aim of this study is therefore to establish whether a positive relationship exists between trust and commitment, whether trust has a positive influence on commitment, whether trust and commitment positively influence satisfaction and whether opportunism and conflict are outcomes of satisfaction in South African buyer-supplier relationships. Most studies on businessto-business relationships are founded on the findings of academic research that was conducted in developed countries, such as the studies by Segarra-Moliner et al (2013), Vieira, Monteiro andVeiga (2011), Nyaga et al (2010) and Skarmeas, Katsikeas, Spyropoulou and Salehi-Sangari (2008). However, no previous study has tested the variables in the proposed model in relation to an emerging market such as South Africa.…”