Buyer-seller relationships in the wood products industry

Abstract During the past decade, organizational partnerships have emerged as a significant form of relationship structure, spawning a concomitant increase in the volume of marketing literature devoted to better understanding these relationships. While research has identified a number of factors thought to enhance partnership success, empirical and anecdotal evidence suggests that the ingredients for successful relationships may vary, even within remarkably similar channel systems. This article explores the relationships between one distributor and two operationally similar suppliers. While both relationships are characterized by joint marketing programs and coordinated activities, the norms and outcomes are vastly different. The results indicate that the key to understanding effective working partnerships is not necessarily the degree of formal interaction, but the norms developed within the relationship. A full discussion of study findings and the implications for partnership management are presented.