What Determines Buyer‐Seller Relationship Quality? An Investigation from the Buyer's Perspective

SUMMARY In today's environment, businesses are increasingly dependent on the relationships they have with their suppliers and are demanding that they adhere to high standards. It is increasingly important that buyers have strong relationships with their suppliers to stay ahead of competition. The establishment, development, and maintenance of relationships between exchange partners is crucial to achieving success (Morgan and Hunt 1994). The goal of this research is to further investigate the nature of buyer-seller relationships from the buyer's perspective and to address the question — what determines the quality of buyer-seller relationships? Many factors may contribute to the quality of a buyer-seller relationship. Quality may depend on the nature of the organizations involved, the individuals in the organizations, and the nature of the situation. This study considers two main sets of variables, interpersonal and aspects of the relationship. Interpersonal variables describe the characteristics of individual company representatives, while aspects of the relationship variables describe the situations buyers and sellers face. A unique aspect of this study is that it considers the role both of individuals and of the organizations they represent.

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