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This article has been withdrawn as it was published elsewhere and accidentally duplicated. The original article can be seen here: 10.1108/EUM0000000000347. When citing the article, please cite: Jule B. Gassenheimer, Jay U. Sterling, Robert A. Robicheaux, (1989), “Long-term Channel Member Relationships”, International Journal of Physical Distribution & Materials Management, Vol. 19 Iss: 12, pp. 15 - 28.

The ability to nurture marketing channel relations is essential to long‐term corporate survival. This study empirically investigates how and why relationships between manufacturers and dealers in the office systems/furniture industry develop and how and why these relationships are maintained. The results demonstrate the benefits of considering the actions and reactions of channel partners when developing tactical and strategic marketing plans. These findings emphasise the importance of mutual dependency, behaviour and financial performance in creating effective working environments.

Suppliers use a variety of strategies to gain a preferred position within their dealers′ supply network. Dealers allocate purchases among several suppliers in order to maximize benefits from their suppliers′ competitive maneuvers and to avoid being dominated. Uses an extension of transaction cost analysis and contract law to provide empirical insight into supplier‐dealer relationships within dealers′ supply networks. Also suggests simple but powerful mechanisms for suppliers to enhance relationship strength.

While prior studies have examined how loyal customers create value for preferred manufacturers, this study aims to focus on the supply chain and captures the indirect economic and relational benefits and costs of customer value creation on channel intermediaries.

Service-dominant logic is used to explain the rationale behind consumer contributions and supply chain connectedness in an interactive online world. Drawing from the relevant literature, a conceptual model supported by propositions is presented.

As manufacturers utilize consumer contributions, affiliated intermediaries will report having less informational power, providing less value to the channel, greater benefit-based and cost-based dependence, heightened efforts to create channel value, an enhanced reputation and greater sales, and greater collaboration with customers.

This conceptual paper is the beginning of an investigation into the pragmatic function of a service-dominant view as it pertains to a marketing channel. As this avenue for research is further developed, it is important that the propositions included in this study first be examined.

Awareness of the underlying logic and the resulting impacts should aid channel intermediaries in realizing their own contributions throughout the manufacturer ' s value chain and recognizing changes to their positions of power. As a result, channel intermediaries should be better positioned to assess the health and future prospects of the relationship.

This work is the first study to examine potential impacts on the intermediary operating in a channel in which the manufacturer is significantly influenced by consumer contributions.

Describes an investigation into the individual, organization, and demographic‐related ante‐cedents to industrial negotiation encounters in two culturally diverse countries. Focuses in particular on antecedent factors that influence sellers’ co‐operative orientation. Two con‐current surveys were conducted among Philippine and American industrial exporters. Our results suggest that the antecedents leading to co‐operative negotiation behaviours differ between Filipino and American sales representatives.

The purpose of this paper is multifold. First, this study aims to proffer a psychometric scale to measure sales agent's perception of sales cannibalization due to the addition of an internet channel. Second, the study seeks to estimate the downstream impact of sales agents' perceived cannibalization (SPC) on two outcomes, namely, commitment and alienation from work. Third, it aims to examine the moderating role of environmental munificence in the relationship between SPC and the two outcomes.

The data for this study were collected from a contact pool of 2,108 insurance sales agents. A total of 511 valid responses were attained. Structural equation modeling was employed to examine the relationships posited in this study.

First, a multi‐item scale was conceptualized and developed for measuring SPC. Second, the properties of the scale were assessed following procedures recommended by Churchill, Anderson, Gerbing, Bagozzi, and Yi. The scale demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity. Third, SPC was shown to be not universally damaging to commitment. Rather, only under a low munificent environment does perceived cannibalization significantly reduce salespersons' commitment. Additionally, the severity of the influence of SPC on alienation from work increases in low munificent environment.

The data for this study were collected using a single survey of insurance agents. Future researchers should attempt to examine the relationships posited in this study using a sample from a different industry.

While recognizing that the internet is here to stay and that strategic channel decisions will unlikely be made based on the views or psychological reactions of sales agents alone, incorporating the sales agent perspective does allow organizations to take a holistic view of their distribution system. This may be particularly important in view of multi‐channel marketing, when a new marketing channel is employed to co‐exist with the traditional sales force.

Previous conceptualizations of inter‐channel cannibalization were all based on economic terms and, hence, were considered myopic by Porter. This study examines the psychological influence of the addition of an internet channel on sale agents' work related outcomes.

Previous research in the area of distributor performance proposed different scales, mostly in western, developed country context. These studies also lacked the consideration of dynamic interaction between variables, which determine the distributor’s performance. This paper proposes a composite Distributor Performance Index (DPI) to evaluate distributors’ performance based on at the “Enables” and “Results”, taking a system dynamics approach. The model results have been discussed and validated, in business marketing channel. The context of this study is India, an emerging market.

Suggests that an understanding of the difference between friendliness and courtesy can help providers to meet customer expectations and improve perceptions of service quality in a variety of service situations. Focuses on the issue of first‐name usage as a gesture of friendliness which is open to misinterpretation. Notes that this aspect of friendliness has been much debated in the popular press and has been identified as part of consumer service by some service organizations. Concludes that consumers express strong preferences for the level of friendliness they want from any type of service encounter, and that expectations will vary from one service to another and also from one customer to another.

The 1990s may turn out to be the most testing decade since the 1930s. Severe competition, industry capacity gluts, and rapid technology transfer will not allow any firm to stay ahead of the pack for long. Depressed margins and increasing costs in benefits and office automation will put companies between the proverbial rock and a hard place. They will be severely challenged to get a payoff from their knowledge workers and upgrade total quality fast.