Lisa K. Scheer

The effects of perceived interdependence on dealer attitudes

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 ...

The effects of trust and interdependence on relationship commitment: A trans-Atlantic study

A two-stage locking or latching mechanism for releasably connecting an endoscope and a urological instrument. In the first latching stage a body portion of the endoscope is fully received within a socket of the urological instrument and is restrained by a cooperating lug and socket against all movement except limited outward axial movement into the second latching stage. In the second latching stage the parts are secured against further axial separation unless they are first rotated with respect to each other to cam a spring out of latching engagement with the body portion of the endoscope.

Customer Loyalty to Whom? Managing the Benefits and Risks of Salesperson-Owned Loyalty

In a study of 362 buyer–salesperson dyads using triadic data (from buyer, salesperson, and sales manager), the authors examine both a customers overall loyalty to the selling firm and the customers loyalty vested specifically in his or her salesperson. They find that only salesperson-owned loyalty, a newly identified construct, directly affects the more tangible seller financial outcomes of sales growth and selling effectiveness, whereas both salesperson-owned loyalty and loyalty to the selling firm increase the customers willingness to pay a price premium. A longitudinal study verifies that the positive effect of salesperson-owned loyalty on sales growth persists over time. However, because salesperson-owned loyalty simultaneously increases the sellers risk of losing business if the salesperson defects to a competitor, managers need to manage effectively the benefit–risk trade-off. Increasing relationship-enhancing activities and value received by the customer builds both salesperson-owned loyalty and loyalty to the selling firm. The loyalty-building impact of relationship-enhancing activities is moderated by selling-firm consistency and by the selling firms and salespersons loyalty-capturing strategies.

From market driven to market driving

Firms are constantly exhorted to become more market driven. However, our study of 25 pioneering companies (e.g. Body Shop, IKEA, Tetra Pak) whose success has been based on radical business innovation indicates that such companies are better described as market driving. While market driven processes are excellent in generating incremental innovation, they rarely produce the type of radical innovation which underlies market driving companies. Market driving companies, who are generally new entrants into an industry, gain a more sustainable competitive advantage by delivering a leap in customer value through a unique business system. Market driving strategies entail high risk, but also offer a firm the potential to revolutionize an industry and reap vast rewards. Although established companies face four major obstacles in developing and launching radical market driving business ideas, we offer several recommendations to help established companies overcome these obstacles and become more market driving.

Interdependence, punitive capability, and the reciprocation of punitive actions in channel relationships

Using data from automobile dealers in the Netherlands, the authors find that dealers’ punitive actions toward their key suppliers are affected by their perceptions of their own and their suppliers...

Culture's Impact on the Importance of Fairness in Interorganizational Relationships

Research on interorganizational relationships is predicated on the idea that fairness is always important. The authors question this assumption because most fairness research has been conducted in Western countries, and mixed empirical support draws into question how important fairness actually is. Drawing on Hofstedes cultural dimensions framework, the authors examine culture as an antecedent to the importance of outcome fairness (OF) and procedural fairness (PF) in retailers’ assessments of their relationships with suppliers. The authors also propose that cultural exposure moderates the impact of culture on fairness importance. Using responses from retailers in ten countries analyzed with hierarchical linear modeling, the authors find that uncertainty avoidance enhances the importance of OF and PF, power distance marginally decreases the importance of PF, and long-term orientation increases the importance of both OF and PF. Cultural exposure also positively moderates the impact of uncertainty avoidance and masculinity on both fairness types. The pattern of effects is robust when compared with two alternative models. This study offers a first step in understanding cultures impact on when fairness is more or less important.

The Role of Equity and Work Environment in the Formation of Salesperson Distributive Fairness Judgments

This research addresses significant gaps in the application of distributive fairness to sales management. A study of sales professionals from across several industries details how the equitable distribution of rewards affects important job outcomes such as satisfaction, voice (constructive suggestions for improvement of the firm), and exit (quitting the firm). The study also demonstrates that equity judgments are derived, and differently affected, by referent comparisons including other salespeople within the firm, other employees within the firm, and salespeople from outside the firm. Several conditions that describe the sales environment are shown to moderate these effects and, consequently, what is perceived as “fair” and “unfair.” Together, these insights reveal the underlying mechanics in judgments of fairness (yielding a richer theory) and contribute to better managerial practice.