A prototyping analysis of relationship marketing constructs: what constructs to use when

ABSTRACT

As relationship marketing research evolved, a number of key constructs emerged. Some scholars have argued that these constructs are not conceptually or empirically distinct. We investigate this phenomenon based on the premise that sustained research effort towards studying conceptually overlapping/redundant constructs, while treating them as independent, can hamper the development of the field. We use prototyping, a method adopted from psychology, to examine consumers’ views of these constructs, and then identify relationship contexts where constructs are distinct or redundant.

KEYWORDS:

• Relationships
• commitment
• loyalty
• relationship-satisfaction
• relationship-quality
• engagement
• prototyping

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tim Jones

Tim Jones, PhD is an Associate Professor in the School of Business Administration at Memorial University of Newfoundland.  His research activities focus on two areas. He conducts research that examines the content and value of relationships that customers have with individual service providers and service firms. In addition, he examines the impact of violent content in advertising and other forms of media. His research has been published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Service Research, Journal of Advertising, Journal of Services Marketing, Qualitative Marketing Research, Canadian Journal of Media Studies, Journal of Family Violence and in the proceedings of conferences held by the American Marketing Association, the Academy of Marketing Science, and the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada.

Chatura Ranaweera

Chatura Ranaweera, PhD is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the Lazaridis School of Business, and is Co-Editor, Journal of Service Theory and Practice. His main areas of research are service and relationship marketing. His research has appeared in the International Journal of Research in Marketing, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Business Research, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Service Management, Journal of Service Theory and Practice, Marketing Theory, International Journal of Operations and Production Management, and others.

Jeff Murray

Jeff Murray, PhD is Department Chair and R. A. and Vivian Young Professor of Marketing in the Department of Marketing, Walton College, University of Arkansas. His research focuses on theoretical and methodological issues stemming from the Continental tradition in philosophy, including critical marketing, existential-phenomenology, ethnography, semiotics, and the sociology of the body. His research has been published in Journal of Marketing; Journal of Consumer Research; Journal of Business Research; Journal of Marketing Management; Consumption, Markets, and Culture; Journal of Public Policy & Marketing; American Behavioral Scientist; Academy of Marketing Science Review; and Journal of Macromarketing.

Harvir Bansal

Harvir Bansal, PhD is an Associate Professor at the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business. In his prior role, he was a Professor at the Lazaridis School of Business and is currently the Chief Research Officer and Executive Vice President at b3Intelligence. His research interests are in the area of services marketing with emphasis on customer switching behaviours, relationship marketing and customer satisfaction.