The Reference Group as Antecedent of Gray Market Participation: An Empirical Analysis.

Política de acceso abierto tomada de: https://beta.sherpa.ac.uk/id/publication/42044Purpose The objective of this research is to analyze the motivation of a distributor belonging to an official marketing channel to participate in the gray market. We explore this motivation not as an opportunistic behavior but as a strategic decision aligned with the reference group to which it belongs and the homogenization or isomorphism of strategic decisions within the group. Methodology/Approach Based on a survey of a sample of Spanish official distributors of Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and an empirical study using PLS-SEM, found evidence that the imitation effect conditions strategic decisions and can be graduated according to the hierarchical position occupied or legitimacy within the reference group. Findings The hypothesized model was supported by the data. This indicates that the reference group influences the agents that make it up and determines the actions expected of its members, offering a tool to the manufacturer or brand owner to manage the official distribution channel. Originality/Value The investigation of the effect of the reference group on the behavior of the official distributor offers an alternative to the classical explanation of its participation in the gray market, which has not been addressed by the academic literature so far, and which has traditionally been explained by the individual opportunism of the agents. Practical implications The main managerial implication is to provide a monitoring element to the official distribution channel leader, such as influencing the behaviors of the reference group to efficiently manage the marketing channel

Using PLS-SEM for assessing negative impact and cooperation as antecedents of gray market in FMCG supply chains: An analysis on spanish wholesale distributors

This document is made available under the CC-BY-NC 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ This document is the published version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPDLM-02-2022-0038Purpose – Within the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) supply chain, one of the problems facing the distribution channel strategy is the presence of the gray market. The article shows two novel antecedents of the participation of official distributors in this gray channel: Negative impact on distributor performance and the relationship with their supplier. Knowledge of this background helps to preserve the strategy outlined for the official distribution channel. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 172 Spanish wholesale distributors and analyzed using PLS-SEM. Findings – The authors found that the damage through negative affectation in the official distributor’s performance and the cooperation provided by the manufacturer, have different effects. While affectation is shown to be a powerful antecedent of participation in the gray market, the effect of perceived manufacturer cooperation does not show strong results. Practical implications – In business practice, these findings lead the manufacturer to keep transactions carried out in the gray market at low levels and provide cooperation to official distributors to guarantee the official channel strategy aimed at efficiency in the distribution of branded goods. Originality/value – The background of the gray market discussed in the study has not been previously analyzed in the literature. In this way, the authors contribute to the knowledge of such a common problem as the presence of the gray market in the segmentation of distribution channels of high-demand products

Estudio del oportunismo en el canal de distribución desde la teoría de grupos de referencia: un análisis empírico

©2023. The authors. This document is made available under the CC-BY -NC-SA 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa /4.0/ This document is the published version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Contaduría y Administración. To access the final edited and published work see http://dx.doi.org/10.22201/fca.24488410e.2023.3125El presente trabajo de investigación tiene por objeto analizar el oportunismo en el canal de distribución mediante una de sus formas más peculiares: la participación en un mercado paralelo de un distribuidor del canal oficial. Para ello se recurre a la teoría sociológica de grupos de referencia con el objeto de explicar el oportunismo en el canal de distribución mediante la imitación de los miembros del grupo de referencia. Las hipótesis expuestas se contrastan con una muestra de distribuidores mayoristas españoles de productos de gran consumo, encontrando evidencias de que el efecto imitación del oportunismo puede graduarse en función de la posición jerárquica que ocupa el oportunista original dentro del grupo de referencia.The objective of this research is to analyze opportunism in the distribution channel through a peculiar form: the participation in gray market of official cannel distributor. The sociological theory of reference groups is used in order to explain opportunism in the distribution channel imitating the members of reference groups. The hypotheses presented are contrasted with a sample of Spanish wholesale distributors of Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), finding evidence that the imitation effect of opportunism can be graduated according to the hierarchical position occupied for the original opportunist within the reference group