Determinants of influence and participation in the buying center. An analysis of Spanish industrial companies

The goal of this paper is to analyze industrial buying behavior. First, the paper reviews the previous work on the relation between the participation, influence, characteristics of the purchase situation, individuals and organizational structure. Among purchase situation conditions frequently mentioned are: novelty, product complexity, buying situation complexity, buying importance, time pressure and perceived risk associated with the purchase. With respect to individual characteristics, the paper includes personal stake and level of experience. Finally, the paper considers the set of variables which characterizes the company's organizational structure and try to determine if the influence of the different functional areas of the firm in the buying center, and the participation of individuals and the composition of it, vary significantly according to the stage of the buying decision‐making process. The paper subsequently tests the explanatory power of these variables for a sample of Spanish industrial firms.

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