Towards an empirically based taxonomy of buyer–seller relations in business markets

Abstract

To develop appropriate theories of business relationship management we need to understand what types of relations exist and the differing types of problems they pose for the firms involved. We report the results of research to develop an empirically based taxonomy of buyer-seller business relations from data that include both buyer and seller firm perspectives. Cluster analysis is used to identify five types of relations based on measures of relationship atmosphere that share similarities and some important differences with previous typologies. A comparison of typologies shows that some obscure and confound relationship types by forcing them into predefined groups, that the same type of relationship atmosphere is compatible with more than one pattern of behavior and that the estimated correlations among relationship variables are sensitive to the mix of relations included in the sample. Future research that can build on this work, the challenges that this kind of research presents and the methodologies to help address them are then discussed.

The effect of adaptation and trust on positional advantage of companies in B2B relationships: the moderating role of relationship value

“…While some past studies confirmed the presence of positive correlations between trust and some market and financial outcomes of companies (Berry & Parasuraman, 1991;Dwyer & LaGace, 1986;Morgan & Hunt, 1994;Wong et al, 2010), we have provided additional evidence that trust, as perceived by managers in B2B companies, significantly and directly influences the perceived level of positional advantage of their companies, especially from the perspectives of product, service and delivery. However, our research could not support the hypothesis that relationship value enhances the link between trust and positional advantage.…”

“…Nevertheless, Wong, Wilkinson and Young have offered the most complete option with their 'taxonomy model of buyer-seller relations in business markets' (Wong et al, 2010). They measure trust with nine items in terms of the level of confidence each party has in the actions and abilities of the other, which combines aspects of the measures used by Sullivan and Peterson (1982), Anderson and Narus (1990) and Morgan and Hunt (1994).…”

“…Many researchers and managers support the thesis that one of the key marketing objectives of companies is to build and sustain strong long-term relationships (Claycomb & Frankwick, 2010;De Wulf, Odekerken-Schroeder, & Iacobucci, 2001;Palmatier, Scheer, Evans, & Arnold, 2008), because efficient and effective long-term bonds are widely recognised as important sources of a company's competitive and positional advantage (Claycomb & Frankwick, 2010;Reimann, Schilke, & Thomas, 2010;Wong, Wilkinson, & Young, 2010), which results in an improvement of their financial and market performance (Kohtamäki, Vesalainen, Henneberg, Naudé, & Ventresca, 2012;Morgan, 2012;Reimann et al, 2010).…”

“…Some authors advocate the opinion that B2B interactions over time lead to mutual adaptation, which takes place in four primary dimensions: actors (the companies and people involved), activities (the tasks performed), resources (the skills, knowledge and capabilities used to carry out the tasks) and schemas (the beliefs, ideas and theories in use that guide interaction and responses) (Guercini et al, 2014, p. 929;Hakansson & Snehota, 1995;Wong et al, 2010). Ongoing interaction processes between two businesses across their boundaries play important roles in how mutual adaptations are initiated and carried out, and interactions in B2B relationships thus stand as central business processes (Guercini et al, 2014, p. 929).…”

How channels evolve: A historical explanation

“…In part, this is because much of the existing channels research is cross-sectional and variable-focused rather than focused on relationships as a whole (Wong, Wilkinson, & Young, 2010). Neither is there any substantial contribution to this area from the large body of longitudinal research that has been conducted.…”