Toward a Triadic Network of Behavioral Channels: The Role of Structure, Power and Climate in Dyadic Exchange

Abstract

The arbitrary way in which concepts have been borrowed from other disciplines has contributed to the currently fragmented state of marketing channels research. This paper merges several previously incompatible views held by marketing researchers regarding the relationships that exist between various channel constructs and the dyadic exchange process. A model is developed that (1) explains the interaction between channel structure, organizational climate and the a/symmetrical use of dyadic power; (2) positions reciprocity as the primary mediator of channel conditions; and (3) preserves the idiosyncratic nature of each member. The actual point of exchange is shown as a separate function ranging from the transactional to the relational in nature. Practical implications for the successful management of marketing channel relationships follow from the model.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

David Strutton

David Strutton (Ph.D., University of Mississippi) is the Acadiana Bottling Professor of Marketing at the University of Southwestern Louisiana. Before entering academe, Dr. Strutton was a sales representative for Tenneco Corporation and owner/president of a retailing firm in North Carolina. Dr. Strutton’s research has been previously published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Journal of Advertising Research, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Macromarketing, and Journal of Business Ethics, among other journals and proceedings. He is currently working on a textbook which integrates the concept of relationship marketing into the study of marketing channels. The book will be published by Richard D. Irwin, Inc.

Lou E. Pelton

Lou E. Pelton (Ph.D., University of Mississippi) is an assistant professor of marketing at the University of North Texas. Prior to entering academe, Dr. Pelton was an entrepreneur and vice president of a marketing consulting firm in Dallas. Dr. Pelton’s research has been previously published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Macromarketing, Journal of Business Ethics, and Journal of Global Marketing, among other journals and proceedings. He is currently working on a textbook which integrates the concept of relationship marketing into the study of marketing channels. The book will be published by Richard D. Irwin, Inc.