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The Effects of Perceived Interdependence on Dealer Attitudes

Nirmalya Kumar¹; Lisa K. Scheer²; Jan-Benedict E. M. Steenkamp³

¹ Professor of Marketing, International Institute for Management Development (IMD), Lausanne, Switzerland and Visiting Assistant Professor of Marketing, J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University. · ² Assistant Professor of Marketing, College of Business and Public Administration, University of Missouri-Columbia. · ³ Associate Professor of Marketing, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium and AGB Professor of International Marketing Research, Wageningen University, the Netherlands.

Channels research has consistently argued that asymmetric channel relationships are more dysfunctional than those characterized by symmetric interdependence. The authors propose that the degree of both interdependence asymmetry and total interdependence affect the level of interfirm conflict, trust, and commitment. Using survey data from automobile dealers, they demonstrate that, with increasing interdependence asymmetry, the dealer's trust in and commitment to the supplier decline while interfirm conflict increases. In addition, they demonstrate that relationships with greater total interdependence exhibit higher trust, stronger commitment, and lower conflict than relationships with lower interdependence. The effects on conflict are consistent with those predicted by bilateral deterrence theory, and the effects on trust and commitment are in accord with the authors’ bilateral convergence predictions.

DOI

10.1177/002224379503200309

Volume

32 (3)

Pages

348-356

Language

en

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Sources

crossref