Interfirm Power-Dependence in Marketing Channels: A Historical Perspective

The purpose of this manuscript is to review the literature on power-dependence from a historical perspective. Our examination of nearly seventy years of research revealed an evolution of this phenomenon through various disciplines and theoretical lenses. The transaction cost and resource-dependency theory era focused on the potential of opportunistic behaviors and use of coercive power resulting from asymmetric resource dependencies between channel members. The ensuing commitment-trust theory era established that coercive power usage would be detrimental for channel relationships causing instability. Commitment-trust era researchers encouraged non-coercive power utilization methods even in cases of asymmetric dependency in order to strengthen trust, commitment, and stability among channel members. In the present era, resource-advantage and value co-creation perspectives recommend firms to collaborate interdependently and build various operant resource interconnections to co-create value for the end-users. Finally, we offer possible directions for the future of power-dependence research as marketing channels and supply chains adopt new technologies like Blockchain and artificial intelligence to enhance co-created value for end-users

Entrepreneurial Orientation, International Operations, and Logistics Alliance Usage: Perspective From Australian SMEs

At a time when small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are challenged with the international logistics disruptions, forming a large set of logistics alliance relationships has become a critical strategic matter for SMEs. The objective of this study is to examine the links between SME entrepreneurial orientation, international operations, and logistics alliance usage. Utilizing resource dependency theory and upper echelons theory, a model is tested using survey data from 222 Australian SME executives. The findings present a direct positive relationship between SME entrepreneurial orientation and logistics alliance usage. Moreover, the study finds that the link between entrepreneurial orientation and logistics alliance usage becomes stronger for the firms that participate in international operations

Logistics service orientation: An integrated strategy to build logistics service competency

While the importance of logistics service competency is widely acknowledged, more research is needed to investigate its antecedents. In this conceptual paper, we synthesize extant marketing and logistics/supply chain literature and propose a new concept - logistics service orientation, which consists of both logistics service’s internal and external market orientation. It is argued that a firm’s logistics service orientation has direct impacts on its logistics service performance. In addition, it is also proposed that this impact can be indirectly achieved through enhanced internal integration. This research contributes to existing knowledge by offering new insights on the development of logistics service competency

Linking supply chain management with mass customization capability

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of supply chain management in enabling manufacturers\u27 mass customization capabilities. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is based upon survey data from 262 manufacturing plants, spanning nine countries and three industries. Responses from multiple employees were aggregated for each item. Hypothesized relationships between variables were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings: The results generally indicate that plant mass customization capabilities are driven by customer-focused product design and reduced supplier lead times. In turn, these factors are driven by management\u27s emphasis on supply chain planning. Post hoc tests show that the effects of supply chain planning on mass customization capabilities are fully mediated by customer-focused product design and reduced supplier lead time. Originality/value: While the literature suggests that mass customization depends upon a dynamic extended enterprise, extant empirical work has focused on internal firm characteristics. The paper is among the first to examine the significance of supply chain management upon the development of mass customization capabilities. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited

A strategic choice theory taxonomy of retailers strategic orientations

Grounded in strategic choice theory and employing a latent class analysis model of 371 retailers, this study provides a classification of retailer strategic orientations so that the retailers choice of cooperation levels and ultimately their growth performance can be assessed by their suppliers. The results suggest three major classes of retailers based on their strategic orientations: premium, hybrid, and emergent classes. The outcome of this study guides the supplier partners of retailers in developing and maintaining various levels of cooperative relationships based on uniqueresource needs and expectations of each retailer strategic group

An Empirically Derived Taxonomy of Manufacturer–Retailer Channel Structures

Despite efforts at channels theory integration, observers note that this literature lacks a systematic taxonomy of channel systems that reflects the literature\u27s diversity. This study advances a framework that depicts channel structure as being composed of two dimensions: operational integration and joint decision-making. It also illustrates the sociopolitical, economic, and strategic antecedents to channel structure. Using finite mixture regression, differences in various types of manufacturer–retailer channel structure are explored. Based on this analysis, six classes of manufacturer–retailer channel structures are identified