Vicente Sales-Vivó, Irene Gil-Saura and Martina G. Gallarza
This paper addresses both conceptual and empirical value co-creation and relationship quality in a triadic approach for a B2B industrial context by 1) reviewing the relationship…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper addresses both conceptual and empirical value co-creation and relationship quality in a triadic approach for a B2B industrial context by 1) reviewing the relationship quality concept when social and economic satisfaction are addressed separately and 2) testing alternative models of relationship quality and economic satisfaction when value co-creation is introduced.
Design/methodology/approach
Two alternative models are developed where relationship quality is conceptualized as a higher-order multi-dimensional construct with three sub-factors: trust, commitment and social satisfaction. Data on the B2B relationship were collected from 77 partaking firms in the Spanish Furniture Market Observatory business panel, covering the manufacturer-retailer and manufacturer-supplier relationships for control and comparison purposes.
Findings
Using PLS-SEM, results reflect that social and economic satisfaction act differently in the B2B relationship. The effect of relationship quality on economic satisfaction is greater when value co-creation is introduced as a mediating variable, although this mediation is partial. Moreover, the mediating effect is greater in the manufacturer-supplier relationship than in the manufacturer-retailer one.
Originality/value
The paper reduces the conceptual gap between value exchanges in B2C and B2B contexts. It also introduces a less-common triadic approach along the supply chain for B2B industrial relationships. Evidence is provided on the importance of social satisfaction as an affective dimension of relationship quality and on the mediating role of value co-creation between relationship quality and economic satisfaction.
Details
Keywords
Vicente Sales-Vivó, Irene Gil-Saura and Martina Gallarza
This study examines the triadic approach of value co-creation (VcC) in B2B relationships between the industrial manufacturer, its main supplier and its main client, by validating…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the triadic approach of value co-creation (VcC) in B2B relationships between the industrial manufacturer, its main supplier and its main client, by validating VcC as antecedent of Trust and Commitment, which, in turn, affect Satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
A model studies the association of VcC to Trust, Commitment and Satisfaction, the latter in its economic and social dimensions. The relationships in the model are empirically contrasted twice (with suppliers and clients) for a sample of 77 firms participating in an industrial panel, the Spanish Furniture Market Observatory.
Findings
Using PLS-SEM, results suggest that, in industrial B2B relationships, VcC acts as antecedent of Trust and, to a minor extent, of Commitment. It also has a positive effect on Social Satisfaction, the latter having a positive effect in turn on Economic Satisfaction.
Research limitations/implications
Results are limited to the Spanish furniture industry with a cross-sectional approach. The linkages between VcC and Commitment, as well as the differences found between Social Satisfaction and Economic Satisfaction, need replications.
Practical implications
The study suggests that VcC is the core of B2B industrial relationships. VcC may also boost Economic Satisfaction.
Originality/value
Literature on VcC has been extensive in B2C and B2B mostly for service contexts; this paper contributes by bringing evidence from a B2B manufacturing context. At the same time, it depicts a triadic approach of VcC in B2B, by measuring the relationships with both the manufacturer's main supplier and main client. The study also contributes with evidence to the role played by Trust and Commitment in the relationship between VcC and two Satisfactions.