Reciprocity in marketing relationships
Abstract
Marketing researchers have often cited reciprocity as an important aspect of relational exchange; however the extant research has not conceptualized or measured reciprocity in marketing relationships. This research is a first attempt to explicate the role of reciprocity in these exchange relationships. Reciprocity is first conceptualized as a component of discrete transactions. A theoretical model is built and tested in (a) a laboratory setting and (b) through a survey of car dealership managers. The role of reciprocal debt is established and shown to impact exchange relationships. Next, reciprocity is conceptualized as a multidimensional element of ongoing exchange relationships. Through a survey of business customers of a bank, the existence of relational reciprocity is established and shown to impact numerous indicators of relationship success. Implications for both theory and practitioners are presented, and future research directions are discussed.
Degree
Ph. D.
Thesis Department
Rights
OpenAccess.
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