Interdependence and Its Consequences in Distributor-Supplier Relationships: A Distributor Perspective through Response Surface Approach

The response surface approach is applied to industrial distributor-supplier relationships and the empirical study results suggest that distributors perceive differential effects of supplier dependence and distributor dependence on outcome variables.

Abstract

Despite its importance for marketing channels research, the effect of interdependence on channel outcome variables remains elusive because of the inconsistent manner in which it is operationalized and the analytical methods used to assess its impact. To address those gaps, the authors first review prior approaches and identify the sources of their limitations. Then, the authors use the response surface approach (RSA) and derive three managerial insights that can be garnered from its use. They apply RSA to industrial distributor-supplier relationships and contrast it with previous methods. The empirical study results suggest that distributors perceive differential effects of supplier dependence and distributor dependence on outcome variables. The authors elaborate on managerial and research implications of the RSA results.