Relationship Quality PDF

European Journal of Marketing
Emerald Article: Relationship quality: a critical literature review and

research agenda
Pinelopi Athanasopoulou
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Pinelopi Athanasopoulou, (2009),"Relationship quality: a critical literature review and research agenda", European Journal of
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COMMENTARY
Relationship quality: a critical

literature review and research
agenda
Relationship
quality
583
Pinelopi Athanasopoulou
University of Peloponnese, Athens, Greece
Abstract
Purpose In todays highly competitive environment losing customers is very costly. Customer
retention and loyalty have become possible through the development of long-term, mutually beneficial
relationships with customers. This paper seeks to critically review the literature on relationship
quality (RQ) and to suggest avenues for further research.
Design/methodology/approach Data were collected with impartial cross-referencing of papers
published in all major journals in the marketing area. Papers are presented in tabulated form based on
six rigorously cross-checked categories of information.
Findings Most RQ research centres on business-to-business (b-to-b) markets and products use
survey data, look at relationships from the customer perspective and analyse either the US or
European markets. Also, results differ in various contexts and there is no universally accepted
framework for RQ. By analysing the different variables used in previous studies, a general conceptual
framework is provided for the study of RQ.
Research limitations/implications The characteristics of RQ research that were identified from
the review indicate that future research should focus on service and retail settings; validate existing
conceptual frameworks across countries and contexts; do more seller and dyad studies; use more
qualitative approaches to capture the subtle differences between contexts; analyse RQ in different
relationship development stages, and look at new types of relationships between parties that may not
be individuals or businesses or may not assume the traditional roles of buyer and seller.
Practical implications The framework developed here provides firms with a guide to the factors
that may affect the quality of their relationships with customers and helps them in developing effective
relationship marketing strategies.
Originality/value The paper provides a comprehensive review of the RQ literature that has not
been done before and develops a general framework that can be applied in all contexts and will guide
future studies in the area. Overall, the study helps researchers identify the critical issues and concepts
related to RQ and shapes future research in the field.
Keywords Relationship marketing, Research, Customer retention
Paper type Literature review
Introduction
In todays highly competitive environment loosing customers is very costly.
Researchers have concluded that it is five times more expensive to acquire new
customers than to keep existing ones. Therefore, companies have strived to develop
long-term relationships with their customers in order to create customer loyalty and
increase profitability. The development of successful, long-term, mutually beneficial
relationships has attracted the attention of researchers for the past few decades. Within
this research stream, the issue of relationship quality (RQ) has emerged as very
European Journal of Marketing

Vol. 43 No. 5/6, 2009
pp. 583-610
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0309-0566
DOI 10.1108/03090560910946945
EJM
43,5/6
584
important. When such quality is good, the relationship is successful and vice versa.
The three major questions that researchers have addressed are:
(1) Which factors increase or decrease the quality of relationships?
(2) How can we measure RQ?
(3) What are the consequences of RQ?
The problem, though, is that relationships in business-to-business (b-to-b) markets
differ from those in retail settings. Also, relationships in products generally differ from
those in services. This paper aims to critically review the literature on relationship
quality and make suggestions for further research in the field. In particular, the goal is
to highlight, elucidate, rationalise and interpret the similarities and differences among
the studies in content and methodology and make conclusions as to where the field is
going. As this literature has not been reviewed previously, this would be a timely and
useful contribution to the field. Also, this paper contributes to the relationship
marketing field by developing a general framework for the analysis of RQ that can be
used in future research irrespective of context.
The paper is structured as follows. First we explain the methodology followed; then
we present the results of the review; thirdly we make conclusions and indicate the
developmental trends in the literature, and finally we offer suggestions for future
research.
Methodology
This review was done through a rigorous comparison of peer-reviewed literature on
RQ and an examination of its chronological development. In order to select articles for
inclusion, a set of selection criteria was set. The first was that only academic papers
will be used. Practitioner articles were excluded as they could not be studied using the
same analytical constructs with academic journal papers, for example, objectives and
methodology. Also, their form differs a lot from the type of research that is the subject
of this study. A similar review of the practitioner literature would possibly be of value,
as it has not been analysed previously. Secondly, all papers selected had to do with RQ
either directly, when the title or the text included the construct, or indirectly, because it
was inferred by the content of the paper. All the included papers involved findings
related to at least one of the three categories of variables analysed in this review (i.e.
antecedents, consequences and dimensions of RQ). Finally, all papers selected studied
the quality of dyadic relationships in a business-to-business or business-to-customer
context and therefore, all studies that investigate networks are not included. Network
literature is a big part of relationship marketing. However, the studies on relationship
quality concern dyadic relationships. In the future, it may be interesting to analyse the
quality of network relationships.
Ultimately, a total of 64 studies (from 1987 to March 2007) were selected for
examination. The method of data collection was impartial cross-referencing. The major
journals in the marketing area were scanned for publications regarding relationship
quality and then all the cross-references were also analysed. No attempt was made at
this stage to separate studies on the grounds of perspective (buyer, seller or dyad), type
of service or product, research method or findings. This method was chosen to:
Reduce the possibility of subjectively-driven selection criteria to assist theory

development; and
To reflect the fact that the body of literature, whatever its internal
inconsistencies, represents a canon that must be understood in toto to reflect
the importance of the internal dynamics of discourse within the literature itself.
Relationship
quality
These presumptions are evident in previous reviews done in the services marketing
literature (Fisk et al., 1993, 1995; Tyler and Stanley, 1999). Since there are no previous
reviews on relationship quality, an example from other contexts was important.
Each study contained a lot of information, and thus, it was decided that the best
way to compare studies was through the creation of a comparative table. This table
would also help researchers that work in this field. The first table constructed
attempted to separate the key elements of the studies into seven categories:
(1) Paper details (Author Journal Year of publication).
(2) Type of relationship.
(3) Perspective (buyer, seller, or dyad).
(4) Type of service-product.
(5) Country from which the sample was drawn.
(6) Methodology and sample information.
(7) Findings.
585
This deconstructed the studies so that it became possible to compare similarities of

approach across disparate literature types while retaining the awareness of difference.
From the further study of the papers involved, it was clear that there was a need to
simplify the data and rearrange the categories so that the straight comparison of
studies will be possible and that more detailed information about the findings of each
study is provided and contrasted. In line with this goal, findings were split in three
categories: Antecedents of RQ; Dimensions of RQ, and Consequences of RQ.
Those categories were selected because all studies analysed involved at least one of
these categories of findings. This form of tabulation will be helpful for future
researchers in reconstructing full theoretical frameworks for RQ and test them. Also, it
is useful to see the differences in results in these three categories according to the type
of relationship, service-product, perspective or methodology. Furthermore, another
change that was made in order to simplify the table for analysis, was the grouping of
categories 2, 3, 4, and 5 into one named theoretical positioning. This category
included the type of relationship; the type of perspective; the type of service or product
involved, and the country from which the sample was drawn. Finally, very few studies
involved moderating variables and as a result, there was no new category created but
these variables were presented in the table in between the variables that they moderate.
Subjective processes were inevitable in the reduction of the literature into a
tabulated form; however, there was an effort to achieve consistency and objectivity. To
minimise subjectivity, the tables were checked and re-checked against the studies that
they attempted to encapsulate, to ensure that observations were consistent with the
central theme and dynamics of the articles. Observations that emerged from the
creation of the tables were again re-checked against the articles as written, to test the
EJM
43,5/6
observations legitimacy and applicability. Such rigorous cross-checking was viewed

as the only viable, if imperfect, way of attempting to create valid comparable data.
Results
A breakdown of the results by study can be seen in Table I.
586
General observations
The study of relationship quality begins with Dwyer and Oh in, 1987 and is established
by Crosby et al. (1990). This publication creates a stream of papers on the
conceptualisation of the construct of relationship quality. Up to 1995, the studies on
this issue are few but more researchers start analysing this construct from 1995
onwards developing a whole stream of research within the relationship marketing area.
Most studies appeared in top tier marketing journals. The earlier studies, up to 1999,
appeared mainly in the Journal of Marketing and the Journal of the Academy of
Marketing Science. But in later studies, from 2000 to 2007, more specialized
publications were favoured such as Industrial Marketing Management; Journal of
Business Research, and the European Journal of Marketing. It is notable that 62.5 per
cent of studies appeared in just six journals and Industrial Marketing Management
alone published 18.75 per cent of the studies. This is mainly due to the
business-to-business character of most studies in the relationship quality area. Also,
earlier studies are mainly on industrial products whereas in the last four years (from
2003 onwards) we can see a change of focus towards services either
business-to-business or retail and that is why more specialized services journals
publish RQ studies lately (IJBM, MSQ, JSR, IJSIM). In total the per cent of studies that
appeared in each journal are presented in Table II.
Furthermore, in product-related research there are more studies in
business-to-business than in retail markets whereas the opposite stands for
service-related research. Studies in professional services are very few. In total, apart
from the conceptual papers, there are 38 studies in business-to-business relationships
and 19 in retail relationships. Also, two studies analyse different types of relationships,
such as relationships between marketing executives of firms (Menon et al., 1996) or
interorganisational relationships between automobile manufacturers and their own
salespeople (Park and Deitz, 2006). Furthermore, 26 studies are done in product
markets whereas 25 are done in services, eight deal with both products and services or
it is not defined which industry they deal with, and five are conceptual or theoretical.
Moreover, more than one third of all studies (24) analyse the US market although
from 2000 onwards there is an increase of studies from other parts of the planet such as
Europe (13 studies in various countries but mainly The Netherlands, UK and
Germany); Asia (7); Australasia (8), and Canada (2). Most studies analyse one domestic
market and that is probably due to the characteristics of relationships that differ
widely between different countries, and thus, it is difficult to generalize results across
countries. There are only three studies that are multi-country, one is a buyer side study
that investigates the relationship between automobile manufacturers and car dealers in
the USA and The Netherlands (Kumar et al., 1995); the second is a seller side study that
looks at the relationship between service firms and their international partners in
Sweden, Australia and the UK (Friman et al., 2002), and lastly there is a buyer side
study of relationships between professional painters and distributors of paints in
Theoretical positioning
Automobile manufacturers and
dealers
Buyer side
USA
Salespeople life insurance retail

customers
Buyer side, USA
Physicians and pharmaceutical
salespeople
Buyer side, USA
Providers and users of market

research
Buyer side, USA
Purchasing agents and

salespeople (industrial
relationships)
Dyad, USA
Author/year/journal
Dwyer and Oh, 1987, JMR
Crosby et al. 1990, JM
Lagace et al. 1991, JPSandSM
Moorman et al., 1992, JMR
Han et al. 1993, IMM
Comparison level of alternative

exchange relationships (quality of
outcomes from other relationship)
Future uncertainty due to
overdependence
Buyers: Purchasing efficiency (i.e.

better delivery schedules, lower
production costs etc.)
Suppliers: Price/production
stability, Enhanced Marketing
efficiency, Optimal capacity
planning, Customer orientation
Mutual trust, Satisfactory
exchange (partners satisfaction
with each others performance)
(continued)
Market research utilization
Trust with salesperson

Satisfaction with salesperson
Perceived quality of interaction

Researcher involvement in
research activities
Commitment to relationship
Anticipation of future interaction

Sales effectiveness
Customer satisfaction
Trust in the salesperson
Similarity
Perceived salesperson service
domain expertise
Relational selling behaviour
Ethical behaviour
Expertise
Frequency of interaction (negative
impact on trust, not significant for
satisfaction)
Duration of relationship
User trust in researcher
Survey, convenience sample of

1,719 users of market research
identified by Advertising Ages
1990 list of 200 top advertisers (3
types of users MKTc managers,
firm MKT researchers and
non-MKT managers), 779 resp.
(45.3% r.r)
Four types of relationships
researched:
1. Internal MKT manager and
researcher
2. Internal MKT manager
external MKT researcher
3. Internal external MKT
researcher
4. Internal non-MKT manager and
MKT researcher
123 purchasing agents and 123
salespeople drawn from 41
member companies of Institute for
study of Business markets. 86
resp. (41 agents and 44
salespeople, 33and 36% r.r
respectively)
RQ consequences
Satisfaction
Minimal opportunism
Trust
Participation in decision making

Formalization
Centralization
Survey, random sample of 243 US

dealers (58 in pretest, 185 main
survey) from telephone directory
of five rich and five lean Standard
Metropolitan Statistical Areas,
167 resp.a (34 pretest and 13
main), 69% r.rb
Survey, random sample of 469
policy holders 25-44 years old,
heads of households, members of
national panel, 296 resp. (63% r.r)
Survey, convenience sample of 90
medical doctors (100% r.r)
Findings
RQ dimensions
RQ antecedents
Methodology/sample
Relationship
quality
587
Table I.
Relationship quality:
a review of the literature
US manufacturers and Japanese

importers of consumer goods
Buyer side, Japan
Framework for all services,

examples from financial services
Financial intermediary and
consumer in financial services
Buyer side, USA
Automobile tire retailers and their
customers, Seller side, USA
Banks and corporate customers

Buyer side, Sweden
Large, national automobile

manufacturers and small, regional
new car dealers Buyer side,
USA and The Netherlands
Salespeople and retail customers

in financial services
Buyer side, USA
Johnson et al. 1993, JM
Storbacka et al. 1994, IJSIM
Wray et al. 1994, EJM
Morgan and Hunt, 1994, JM
Zineldin, 1995, IJBM
Kumar et al. 1995, JMR
Bejou et al. 1996, JBR
Table I.
Selling orientation
Customer orientation
Sellers expertise and ethics
Relationship duration
Relationship termination costs
Survey, random sample of 1,394
independent retailers drawn from Relationship benefits
Shared values
trade association list, 204 resp.
Communication
(14,6% r.r)
Opportunistic behaviour
Environment (economic, technical,
companies, 179 resp. (60% r.r) in legal/political) Atmosphere
(power/dependence,
two mailings
cooperation/conflict,
trustworthiness)
Interaction process (information
exchange, business or financial
exchange and social exchange)
Distributive fairness (in earnings
Survey, random sample of new
car dealers from commercial lists, and other outcomes from
1,640 USA (from 2,100 list of two relationship)
Procedural fairness (bilateral
states) and 1,600 in The
communication, impartiality,
Netherlands (from 4,000 list of
refutability, explanation,
whole country). 453 and 309
responses respectively (28% and knowledgeability, courtesy)
19% r.rs). Final usable sample due Outcomes given alternatives
Environmental uncertainty
to missing data 289 Netherlands
Age of the relationship
and 417 USA
Sellers ethical orientation
Survey, random sample, 734
Sellers expertise
telephone interviews, 564
responses (76% r.r), Artificial
Customer and selling orientation
Neural Network Analyses
(ANNA)
Telephone survey in four cities,
random sample, of 1,944
consumers, 564 resp., 29% r.r
Acquiescence
Propensity to leave
Cooperation
Functional conflict
Uncertainty
Trust
Commitment
Affective and manifest conflict

Trust in partners honesty and
benevolence
Commitment
Willingness to invest
Expectation of continuity
Trust in salesperson
Relationship strength
#
Relationship longevity
RQ consequences
Satisfaction
Commitment,
Bonds
Customer satisfaction with the
relationship Trust in intermediary
Satisfaction cooperation
relationship stability
Importers perception of power

use

203 managers of importing
retailing firms (74 resp., 36.5%
resp. rate) reporting on individual
distribution relationships within
the firm
Conceptual, individual level,
firms point of view
Findings
RQ dimensions
RQ antecedents
Methodology/sample
588
Author/year/journal
(continued)
EJM
43,5/6
Consumers and firms
Supplier buyer in various

B-to-B products, Buyer side, USA
Industrial relationships in
manufacturing firms (supplier
buyer)
Buyer side, USA
Service provider and customers

(various industries)
Buyer side, USA
Henning-Thurau and Klee, 1997,

Psychology and Marketing
Leuthesser, 1997, IMM
Doney and Cannon, 1997, JM
Gwinner et al. 1998, JAMS
Characteristics of supplier firm

(reputation and size)
Characteristics of supplier firm
relationship (willingness to
customize, confidential info
sharing, length of relationship)
Characteristics of salesperson
(expertise and power)
Characteristics of salesperson
relationship (likeability,
similarity, frequent business and
social contact, length of
relationship)
Three wave mail survey, random

sample of 678 members of
National Association of
Purchasing Management, 210
resp., 31% r.r.
First study: in-depth interviews

Judgement sample of 21
customers through personal
acquaintances
Second study: Survey, random
sample of 530 customers, 299
responses, 56% r.r
Initiating communication
Signalling changes
Disclosing information
Interaction frequency

members of National Association
of Purchasing Management, 454
resp. (59.3% r.r)
Theoretical conceptual
Centralization
Formalization
Team spirit
Interdepartmental
interconnectedness
Communication barriers
Survey, 1,160 senior level

Marketing execs, 262 responses,
22% r.r Critical Incident
technique
Intraorganizational relationships
Business Week 1000 companies,
Undefined side, Global
Menon et al. 1996, JAMS
RQ antecedents
Value creation dimensions in
relationships (economic, strategic
and behavioural)
Methodology/sample
Conceptual
Wilson and Jantrania, 1996,

Australia Marketing Journal
Author/year/journal
Moderating variables:
product importance and age of
relationship
Buying firms trust of supplier
firm and of salesperson
Trust
Commitment
Customers product-related
quality perception
Satisfaction, Trust
Relationship success affected by:

Trust
Satisfaction
Structural and social bonds
Goal compatibility
Investments Comparison level of
the alternatives
Functional conflict
Dysfunctional conflict
Findings
RQ dimensions
(continued)
Relational benefits for customer

Social
Psychological
Economic customisation
Supplier purchase choice

Anticipated future interaction
Control variables:
Delivery performance
Relative price/cost
Product/service performance
Purchase experience with supplier
Share of business
Customer retention
Quality of marketing strategy

#
Market performance
RQ consequences
Relationship
quality
589
Table I.
Vendors and purchasing

executives
Buyer side, USA
Purchasing professionals and

sales representatives Buyer side,
Canada
Purchasing professionals and

sales representatives
Buyer side, Canada
Food producer and its customers

(Cafeterias and Restaurants)
Buyer side, Norway
Hotels and their guests, Buyer
side, USA
Retail firms (organizational

buyers) and their sellers
Buyer side, USA
Franchise channel relationships
Dorsch et al. 1998, JAMS
Smith, 1998a, Psychology and

Marketing
Smith 1998b, Canadian Journal

of Administrative Sciences
Selnes, 1998 EJM
Bowen and Shoemaker, 1998;

Cornell Hotel and Rest. Admin.
Quarterly
Jap et al. 1999, JBR
Hopkinson and Hogarth, 1999
Table I.
One large grocery chain. In depth

interviews with four key
informants- procurement
employees, three senior category
managers, two senior group
managers, 1 vice president of
procurement and observation of
buyer-seller interactions
Theoretical conceptual
Strategic objectives
Resource constraints
Agency problems
Information constraints
Power equilibrium
Sense of unity
Expectations of future
Anticipation of trouble
(continued)
Less opportunistic behavior

Product use (incremental
business)
Voluntary partnership (referrals,
WOM, references, publicity)
Consumer behaviours:
Friendliness
Question asking
Disagreement
Compliance
Time spent talking in meetings
Trust
Commitment
Fair costs
Relationship benefits
Switching costs
Value of relationship understood
Certainty
Trust
Affective conflict
Manifest conflict
Disengagement
Expectations of continuity
Relationship enhancement and

continuity
Trust
Satisfaction
Trust
Satisfaction
Commitment
Competence, communication,
commitment, conflict handling
Trust
Satisfaction
Commitment
Similarity of two parties (in sex,

age, work attitude, personality)
affects next three also directly
Relationship investment
Open communication
Relationalism
Supplier representative expertise
Social bonds
Relationship investment
Supplier expertise
Communication/cooperation

male and 200 female professionals
from Purchasing Management
Association members (105 male
and 80 female resp. 44% r.r)
purchasing managers of customer
firms as key informants, 177
responses, (44% r.r)
Survey random sample of 5,000
American Express Holders that
have stayed at least three times in
hotels of a list
Mail survey with slightly different

questionnaire to three groups of
respondents asking about their
best, typical or worst vendor.
Random sample of 975
purchasing executives from
commercial mailing list (94 resp.,
9.6% r.r)
male and181 female professionals
from Purchasing Management
Association members in Canada,
128 resp. (54 male and 74 female),
37% r.r
RQ consequences
Trust
Satisfaction
Commitment
Opportunism
Customer orientation
Ethical profile
RQ antecedents
Methodology/sample
Findings
RQ dimensions
590
Author/year/journal
EJM
43,5/6
Scanlan and McPhail, 2000, J. of

Hospitality and Tourism Res.
Boles et al. 2000, JBR
Naude and Buttle, 2000, IMM
Henning-Thurau 2000, JMM
Salesperson and business

customer (telecommunications
services)
Buyer side, Global
Business travellers and hotel
receptionists
Buyer side, Australia
Manufacturers and consumers of

electronic products (video and
reflex cameras)
Buyer side, Germany
Executives in various industries
and their suppliers (B-to-B)
Buyer side, UK
Suppliers and distributors in

industrial machinery and
equipment
Buyer side, USA
Garbarino and Johnson, 1999, JM Service providers and consumers
Buyer side, USA
Suppliers and resellers, various

industries
Seller side, USA
Baker et al., 1999, JAMS
Johnson, 1999, JAMS
Author/year/journal
Similarity
Service domain expertise
Equity
Relationship attributes:
Social bonding
Reliability
Personalization
Familiarization
Quality of the stage of

relationship formation during
relationship development affected
by:
Memorable and satisfying service
experiences
Intention to continue stay
Positive first impressions
Receptionists adaptive behaviour
to meet customer needs
Customer retention
Trust
Product-related quality perception
Emotional and calculative
commitment
Trust
Satisfaction
Coordination
Power
Profit
Trust in the salesperson
Skills attribution
Customer skills level
Skills specificity
Convenience sample of 40
executives attending a
management course, 2 stages, 1st
unstructured questions, 2nd
ranking questions
business customers of Fortune
500 Telecommunications firm,
1,009 resp. (33% r.r)
Two stage design:
Exploratory 15 in depth
interviews with business
travellers
Descriptive Survey,
convenience sample of 500
business travellers guests,
questionnaire given by reception,
119 usable responses, 24% r.r.
Future intentions (relation of

constructs differs according to
three different customer groups)
Overall satisfaction
Commitment
Trust
Expectation of relationship
continuity
(continued)
Long-term relationship
Anticipation of future interaction

Sales effectiveness
Distributors strategic integration

of relationship with supplier
Actor satisfaction
Actor familiarity
Play attitudes
Theatre attitudes
RQ consequences
Trust
Commitment
Satisfaction with reseller
Perception of cooperative norms
with reseller
Trust
Fairness
Absence of opportunism
Suppliers perceived reseller

market orientation

1,127 suppliers indicated by
reseller members of the National
Association of Wholesalers, 380
resp., 33.7% r.r.
400 qualified key informants from
distributor firms, 177 responses,
44.7% r.r.
customers of professional
non-profit repertory theatre
company in New York. (375
occasional subscribers, 250
current subscribers, 375
individual ticket buyers), 401 resp.
40% r.r.
Face-to-face questionnaire survey,
random sample of 293 consumers
in one city
Findings
RQ dimensions
RQ antecedents
Methodology/sample
Relationship
quality
591
Table I.
Industrial purchasing executives

and sellers (goods and services),
Dyad study, USA
Hotels and guests

Buyer side, Korea
Hewett et al. 2002, JAMS
Woo and Cha, 2002, Hospitality

Management
Department store and retail

shoppers
Department store and retail
shoppers
Wong and Sohal 2002a, IJ of

Retail and Distribution
Management
Wong and Sohal 2002b,

Managing Service Quality
Henning-Thurau et al., 2002, JSR Consumer services firms and their

customers
Buyer side, USA
B-to-B relationships in high

technology markets (very high
volume VHV copiers)
Buyer side, The Netherlands
de Ruyeter et al. 2001, IMM
Goodman and Dion, 2001, IMM
Marketing channel of a Fortune

500 consumer durable
manufacturer relationship with
its independent dealers hurt by
addition of mass merchandiser in
marketing channel,
Buyer side, Global
Manufacturer distributor
relationships in high tech
industrial products
Buyer side, USA
Hibbard et al. 2001, JMR
Table I.

hotel guests staying at 12 5-star
hotels, 208 resp. (45% r.r)
Survey 71 student data
collectors with five questionnaires
each 355 total, 336 responses,
173 female and 163 male
customers in a department store
chain, on site (45.5% r.r) or by
reply paid mail (37.2% r.r)
customers in a department store
chain, on site (45.5% r.r) or by
reply paid mail (37.2% r.r)
Survey convenience sample of

986 Seller and 113 buyers, 166 and
81 responses respectively and
16.8% and 72% response rates
Convenience sample, 54 in-depth

interviews with business
customers of three main VHV
suppliers
Salesperson trust
Salesperson commitment
Store commitment
Store trust
Service quality
Customer orientation Relational

orientation Mutual disclosure
Service provider attributes
Relational benefits (confidence,
social and special treatment
benefits)
Perceived RQ before the

destructive act (trust and affective
commitment), Total and Relative
dependence of both supplier and
dealer
Type of response to destructive
act
Dependence and power,
Idiosyncratic investments
Product saleability
Ease of sale
Effective communications
Anticipation of trust
Manufacturers strengths
Offer characteristics (product
performance and output, after
sales service)
Relationship characteristics
(Account support, Communication
from supplier, Co-operation,
Harmonization of conflict)
Market characteristics
Replaceability
Switching costs

independent dealers (list supplied
by manufacturer), 742 responses
(62.6% r.r)

firms from lists of Distributor
Associations, 215 usable resp.,
31.9% r.r.
RQ antecedents
Methodology/sample
Loyalty
Intention to stay
Repurchase intentions
Trust
Affective commitment
Calculative commitment
Buyers perception of trust and

commitment in relationship
Satisfaction
Commitment
(continued)
Share of purchases
Relationship continuity
Word of mouth
Word of mouth
Customer loyalty
Commitment
Moderating variable:
buyers corporate culture
Trust
Satisfaction
RQ consequences
RQ after the destructive act (Trust

and affective commitment)
(same antecedents are used for
effect on performance from the
suppliers perspective)
Findings
RQ dimensions
592
Author/year/journal
EJM
43,5/6
Service firms and international
partners. International B-to-B
relationships
Seller side, Sweden, Australia and
UK
Financial service providers

(banks) and retail customers
online relationships
Buyer side, New Zealand
Relationships in online retailing
Manufacturing supplier and

purchasing professional, various
industries
Buyer side, Germany
Service firms and their customers

Industrial firms and suppliers

(products and services),
Buyer side, Spain
Author/year/journal
Friman et al. 2002, IMM
Lang and Colgate, 2003, IJBM
Keating et al. 2003, Managing

Service Quality
Walter et al. 2003, IMM
Roberts et al., 2003, EJM
Sanzo et al. 2003, IMM
RQ antecedents
Structural personal surveys, two

stages, random sample of 264
firms from Directory of industrial
companies and industrial supply
firms in Austrias (174 resp. 66%
r.r, same in both stages)
Effective communication
influenced by suppliers:
Use of coercive or non-coercive
influence strategies
Cultural market orientation
1st stage: two online focus groups

in Australia
2nd stage: online survey with
convenience sample of student
e-shoppers from Australian
University, 259 resp. (24% r.r)
Direct functions of relationship
(cost reduction, volume, quality,
purchasing managers or agents,
safeguard), Indirect functions of
230 responses (41.1% r.r).
relationship (market, scout,
innovation development, social
support)
Service quality
consumers, 251 responses
(24.7% r.r)
Five case studies, Critical incident Relationship termination costs

technique, Extending Morgan and Relationship benefits
Shared values
Hunts (1994) model
Communication quality
Lack of opportunistic behaviour
Fairness
Perceived relationship
effectiveness
Prior beliefs of how likely the
partner will reciprocate acts of
trust and commitment
Survey, random, proportionately
stratified probability sample of
2,688 consumers, two mailings,
1,346 resp. (55.5% r.r)
Methodology/sample
RQ consequences
(continued)
Loyalty expressed by:

Share information
Say positive things
Recommend friends
Continue purchasing
Purchase additional services
Test new services
Buyers satisfaction with the
supplier
Trust in integrity
Trust in benevolence
Commitment
Affective conflict
Satisfaction
Trust
Conflict
Value of relationship for the buyer
Long-term relationship
Commitment
Trust
Satisfaction
Commitment
Trust
Satisfaction
Social bonds
Conflict
Trust
Effort
Value
Understanding
Communication
Commitment
Trust
Findings
RQ dimensions
Relationship
quality
593
Table I.
Exporters and importers

Seller side, UK
Charities and their beneficiaries

Buyer side, UK
Lages et al. 2005, JBR
Bennett and Barkensjo, 2005,

IJSIM
Farrelly and Quester, 2005, IMM Football teams (Australian

Football League) and their
sponsors, Buyer side
Van Bruggen et al. 2005 IJRM
B-to-B relationships
Professional painters
(owners/heads of painting firms)
and distributors of paints
Buyer side
Belgium and The Netherlands
Advertising agencies and

business customers (products and
services),
Buyer side, The Netherlands
Venetis and Ghauri 2004, EJM
Fynes et al. 2004, J of Purchasing Supply chain relationships,

and Supply Management
Manufacturing companies in
electronics
Seller side, Ireland
B-to-B relationships in
professional services (consulting
engineering services)
Buyer side, Hong Kong
Woo and Ennew, 2004, EJM
Table I.
Structural bonds (switch and

stuck bonds)
Trust
Service quality
Quality of charitys RMd

(relationship advertising, two-way
communications, database MKG,
face-to-face contacts, listening
activities)
Satisfaction with service
provision
Survey, convenience sample of 54
relationships of which 46
examined (86% r.r)
Distributor channel function
1,000 professional painters in The performance (location,
Netherlands and 500 in Belgium, assortment, financial and pricing
317 respondents, 21.1% r.r., (233 policies, personnel)
Dependence structure (total
resp. from The Netherlands, 94
from Belgium, 23.3 and 18.8% r.r interdependence, relative
distributor and customer
respectively)
dependence)

1,112 representatives of 705
advertisers, 241 resp. (22% r.r of
total and 31% of companies
approached)
enterprises from the Database of
the British Chamber of Commerce,
person responsible for exporting,
111 responses (7% r.r, actual, 32%
effective)
1,000 employees and 1,000
students in London University
1,500 random people from two
railway stations, 100 resp. (34, 37
and 29 from 3 samples, 3.5%? r.r.)
Trust, adaptation,
communication, cooperation
(continued)
Economic satisfaction,
non-economic satisfaction
Trust, commitment
Trust, commitment, satisfaction

and relationship conflicts
Behavioural intention
Perceived service quality
Export performance (financial,

strategic and satisfaction with
export venture)
Relationship intentions (intention

to continue the relationship)
Supply chain performance

expressed by:
Delivery
Cost
Flexibility
Service quality
RQ consequences
Trust
Benevolence
Commitment
Amount of information sharing,

communication quality, long-term
relationship orientation,
satisfaction with the relationship
Moderating variables:
Demand, technological and
supply uncertainty
Calculative commitment
Affective commitment
Cooperation
Adaptation
Atmosphere

senior government engineers from
the Staff list of Hong Kong
Government, 98 responses (36%
r.r)
538 companies, single informants,
202 resp. (38% r.r)
Findings
RQ dimensions
RQ antecedents
Methodology/sample
594
Author/year/journal
EJM
43,5/6
B-to-B relationships, in
technology intensive
environments (marketing
representatives and business
customers of various industries)
Buyer side, USA
Corporate customers and financial
service providers (leasing
services)
Relationship for NSD Seller side,
UK
Huntley, 2006, IMM
Automobile manufacturers and

their salespeople
Buyer side, Korea
Department stores and their

tenants
Buyer side, China
Industrial purchasing managers
and vendors, various industries
goods
Buyer side, USA
Exporters and importers

Seller side, USA
Tourists and destinations
Park and Deitz, 2006, JBR
Ramaseshan et al. 2006, J of

Retailing
Ulaga and Eggert, 2006, EJM
Leonidou et al., 2006, IMM
Huang and Chiu, 2006, JAAB
Athanasopoulou (2006), JBBM
Author/year/journal
Trust
Satisfaction
Adaptation
Communication
Commitment
Cooperation
Satisfaction
Trust
Understanding
Uncertainty
Distance (does not affect
adaptation, trust and
understanding)
Conflict
(does not affect adaptation and
communication)
Perceived culture differences

Perceived safety
Convenient transportation
Trust
Commitment
Satisfaction
Non coercive power (affects

economic and social satisfaction)
Coercive power

tenants drawn from 1,210. List
supplied by a department store,
295 responses (98% r.r)
Two stages 1st in depth
interviews with ten senior level
purchasing managers / 2nd
survey with a random sample of
1,950 purchasing managers,
members of the Institute for
Supply Management, 400 usable
responses (20.5% r.r.)
Random, systematic sample of
1,500 SMEs manufacturers that
export from American Export
Register (42,000 firms). Sample
stratified by product type and
geographical location. Two
phases of 750 firms, mail
questionnaire to employees
responsible for export operations
(215 responses, 13.4% r.r).
Conceptual
Perceived value of relationship
Working relationship quality

between salespeople and
colleagues
Managers
Other departments
Economic and social satisfaction
#
Commitment
Destination loyalty
(continued)
Intention to expand business with

supplier Propensity to leave the
relationship
Strategic performance (influenced

only by commitment)
Salespersons job satisfaction

Salespersons performance
Communication quality
Relationship bonds
Quality of relationship partners
Customer-driven NSD strategy
Proficiency in knowledge
brokering
Adaptive selling behavior (ASB)
Nine case studies of leasing

companies that involved 27
in-depth interviews with key
informants and study of internal
documents
199 automobile salespeople that
work in a major automobile
Korean Manufacturer (90% r.r)
Trust, commitment
Goal congruity
Telephone survey, convenience

sample of 240 customers of one
Fortune 100 company selling IT
products and services, Key
informants, 203 resp. (84,6% r.r)
RQ consequences
Willingness to recommend,
service sales, product sales
Findings
RQ dimensions
RQ antecedents
Methodology/sample
Relationship
quality
595
Table I.
Survey of Chunghwa Telecom

Retail customers of ADSL
services and ISP providers, Buyer customers in Taiwan. Random,
proportional, stratified sample by
side, Taiwan
area and then systematic
sampling from customer phone
numbers. 800 questionnaires
mailed and followed up by phone,
339 resp. (42% r.r)
Lin and Ding, 2006, JOEUC
1. Mail survey, convenience

sample of 500 owners or
managers of SMEs recruited by
phone from commercial list of
3,000 SMEs (52 resp., 10.4% r.r)
2. Online survey, random sample
of 4,000 SMEs from permission
Marketing database (254 resp.,
20.8% r.r on 1,216 clicks made to
survey page)

400 customers in 15 banks who
volunteered to respond. 230
responses (57.5% r.r)
General measure of RQ as
perceived by customers
Overall customer satisfaction

operationalized as:
Trust, commitment,
communication, service quality,
conflict handling and service
satisfaction
(affects RQ more for females)
Perceived network quality (affects
RQ more for males)
Service recovery
Moderating variable: gender

Trust in supplier
Affective commitment to supplier
Satisfaction
Perceived service quality (trust
and commitment affect only
attitudinal loyalty)
Trust
Satisfaction
Trust, satisfaction
#
Affective commitment (only
commitment affects user
behaviours)
Findings
RQ dimensions
IS service quality (five dimensions

of SERVQUAL)
RQ antecedents
RQ consequences
Customer loyalty expressed as:

Attitudinal loyalty
Purchase intentions
Customer loyalty
(RQ affects more male loyalty)
Positive reciprocal user

behaviours:
1. User identification with IS
department
2. Voluntary participation in IS
departmental activities
Notes: a Responses, b response rate, c marketing d relationship marketing; factors in italics denote that there is no significant direct relationship with next or previous cell variables. Arrows denote a relationship between
two variables of the same category
Papassapa and Miller, 2007, JBR B-to-B, Courier Delivery services

Banks and retail customers

Buyer side, Malaysia
Ndubisi, 2006, JFSM
22 IS managers and 22 IS user

interviews in 11 businesses
IS departments and IS users

Dyad study, USA
Methodology/sample
Carr, 2006 (CACM)
Table I.
596
Author/year/journal
EJM
43,5/6
Journal
Journal of Marketing (JM)
Journal of Marketing Research (JMR)
Industrial Marketing Management (IMM)
Journal of Business Research (JBR)
European Journal of Marketing (EJM)
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science (JAMS)
Journal of Retailing (JoR)
International Journal of Research in Marketing (IJRM)
International Journal of Service Industry Management (IJSIM)
Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management (JPS&SM)
Psychology & Marketing (PS&MKG)
Journal of Business to Business Marketing (JBBM)
Journal of Purchasing & Supply Management (JoP&SM)
International Journal of Bank Marketing (IJBM)
Journal of Service Research (JSR)
Managing Service Quality (MSQ)
International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management (IJRDM)
Hospitality Management (HM)
Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research (JofH&TR)
Cornell Hotel & Restaurant Administration Quarterly (CH&RAQ)
Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences (CJAS)
Journal of American Academy of Business (JAAB)
Communications of the ACM (CACM)
Journal of Financial Services Marketing (JFSM)
Journal of Organizational and End User Computing (JOEUC)
Total
No. of studies
6
3
12
6
7
6
1
1
2
2
2
1
1
2
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
64
9.4
4.7
18.75
9.4
10.9
9.4
1.6
1.6
3.1
3.1
3.1
1.6
1.6
3.1
1.6
3.1
1.6
1.6
1.6
1.6
1.6
1.6
1.6
1.6
1.6
100
Belgium and The Netherlands (Van Bruggen et al., 2005). Also, another three studies
are considered global because they concern companies that are multinationals (e.g.
Fortune 500) and cannot be classified in terms of country.
Finally, irrespective of context, the common characteristic of all studies is that the
main research question addressed is the conceptualisation of relationship quality
and/or its antecedents and consequences.
Methodology
Most studies (47) reviewed here are on the buyer side (or upstream studies) probably
because it is easier to research buyers than sellers. Usually selling firms are very
reluctant to provide information on their customer relationships and secondly it is
difficult for executives to find spare time in order to take part in the research effort.
Only seven studies analyse the seller side (downstream studies) and just three examine
both sides of relationships although the essence of relationships is about the interaction
of the two parties. However, the difficulties associated with dyad studies, such as
shortage of time and money, prevent researchers from including both buyer and seller
in the research effort. Finally, two studies are not classified in terms of relationship
sides since they analyse relationships that do not involve a buyer and a seller (Menon
et al., 1996; Park and Deitz, 2006).
The primary method of data collection is a survey in most studies (55). As much as
35 of these involve random samples whereas 20 studies involve some type of
Relationship
quality
597
Table II.
Breakdown of RQ studies
in various journals
EJM
43,5/6
598
convenience sample. Surveys are mainly mail but there are also two telephone, five
on-site and two online. Survey sample sizes vary according to the type of study.
Samples in b-to-b contexts are smaller than in retail situations. In b-to-b relationships
samples vary from 40 executives to 3,500 business customers. Larger samples are
found in studies that involve data from more than one countries, dyad studies and
professional services studies. Classic manufacturer-reseller type of studies involve
medium size samples of 400 to 700. In contrast, retail relationships involve larger
samples of 1,000 to 5,000, although most of these samples range from 1,000 to 2,000 and
there are also some smaller samples depending on the context of the study, the size of
the population analysed and the method of data collection. If the survey is mail or
telephone the samples are larger than in face-to-face situations.
Apart from surveys, there is only one study that collects data using case studies and
three that use in-depth personal interviews. Also, four of the studies that do some type
of survey apply a two stage design involving also in-depth interviews (three studies)
and online focus groups (one study) It is clear that the preferred mode of data collection
is surveys that provide more generalisable data and confirm relationships of variables.
Qualitative or semi-qualitative methods of data collection are mostly preferred in
services studies where some constructs are more abstract for relationship parties and
therefore, there is a need for interview data to conceptualise the survey instruments.
Variable selection
In order to analyse the type of variables used in previous RQ studies we look at the
three categories of findings that appear in Table I and we observe the following:
Dimensions of RQ. The dimensions of relationship quality include most of the time
trust, commitment and satisfaction. Those three are established as measures of
relationship quality. Also, many studies analyse conflict in various forms (affective,
manifest, calculative, functional, dysfunctional), cooperation, opportunism, power,
adaptation, atmosphere, and social and/or structural bonds. Certain studies brake up
trust in two by using trust in benevolence and trust in integrity (Kumar et al., 1995;
Roberts et al., 2003), and separate commitment in emotional and calculative
(Hennig-Thurau, 2000). Also, there are various studies that go further and include
dimensions such as expectation of continuity (Kumar et al., 1995; Jap et al., 1999;
Hennig-Thurau, 2000); goal compatibility and comparison level of the alternative
(Wilson and Jantrania, 1996); perceived product or service quality (Hennig-Thurau and
Klee, 1997; Hennig-Thurau, 2000; Papassapa and Miller, 2007); perceived quality of
interaction (Moorman et al., 1992); relationship stability (Johnson et al., 1993); customer
orientation and ethical profile (Dorsch et al., 1998); coordination and profit (Naude and
Buttle, 2000), and communication (Fynes et al., 2004; Keating et al., 2003). Finally, there
is a study that creates a whole measurement scale for RQ in the exporter-importer
relationship that includes the following dimensions: amount of information sharing;
communication quality; long-term relationship orientation, and satisfaction with the
relationship (Lages et al., 2005).
The dimensions used to measure RQ differ between b-to-b and retail studies. In the
first case, the dimensions used vary widely and the studies have started from 1987.
There are seven studies up to 1995 and 22 out of the 38 (57.9 per cent) studies are done
from 2000 and onwards. In contrast, retail studies are more focused in the dimensions
they use. They mainly use trust, commitment and satisfaction and in some cases
bonds, conflict and communication. Also, they tend to break up dimensions such as
trust, commitment or conflict in sub-categories. The first retail study appears in Crosby
et al., 1990 and is followed by two others in Wray et al., 1994 and Bejou et al., 1996.
Most studies (12 out of 19 63.2 per cent) are done from 2000 onwards and try to
validate some constructs from earlier b-to-b work. Dimensions used increase as years
pass and especially from 2003 onwards.
Consequences of RQ. The consequences of RQ that are analysed in various studies
involve three major categories of variables:
(1) Business or service or channel performance in different forms including
purchasing efficiency (Han et al., 1993); market research utilization (Moorman
et al., 1992); supply chain performance (Fynes et al., 2004); export performance
(Lages et al., 2005); sales effectiveness (Crosby et al., 1990; Boles et al., 2000);
service quality (Woo and Ennew, 2004; Bennett and Barkensjo, 2005), and
increase in sales (Huntley, 2006) or incremental business (Bowen and
Shoemaker, 1998).
(2) Relational benefits including anticipation of future interaction (Crosby et al.,
1990; Boles et al., 2000); relationship strength (Storbacka et al., 1994);
relationship longevity (Storbacka et al., 1994; Scanlan and McPhail, 2000;
Friman et al., 2002); customer retention (Hennig-Thurau and Klee, 1997;
Hennig-Thurau, 2000); social, economic, psychological and customisation
benefits (Gwinner et al., 1998); relationship enhancement (Selnes, 1998) and
continuity (Selnes, 1998; Woo and Cha, 2002); some aspect or aspects of
voluntary parternship (referall, WOM, references, publicity) (Bowen and
Shoemaker, 1998; Woo and Cha, 2002; Hennig-Thurau et al., 2002; Roberts et al.,
2003; Huntley, 2006); customer loyalty (de Ruyeter et al., 2001; Hennig-Thurau
et al., 2002); future intentions regarding the relationship (Garbarino and
Johnson, 1999; Venetis and Ghauri, 2004; Ulaga and Eggert, 2006); less
opportunistic behaviour (Bowen and Shoemaker, 1998), and propensity to leave
the relationship (Morgan and Hunt, 1994; Ulaga and Eggert, 2006). Also,
another variable that seems very important is the actual or perceived value of
the relationship for both parties (Wilson and Jantrania, 1996; Bowen and
Shoemaker, 1998; Ulaga and Eggert, 2006). Finally, customer loyalty has caught
the interest of researchers lately either as one variable (Lin and Ding, 2006), or
broken up in attitudinal loyalty and purchase intentions (Papassapa and Miller,
2007), or at a conceptual level as destination loyalty (Huang and Chiu, 2006).
(3) Satisfaction-related variables including salesperson satisfaction (Park and
Deitz, 2006); economic and non-economic satisfaction (Farrelly and Quester,
2005) and buyers satisfaction with supplier (Sanzo et al., 2003).
Studies in b-to-b markets and products use mainly efficiency and performance
variables to measure consequences of RQ whereas in services (both professional and
retail) and retail situations, studies use more relationship-related variables. Also, since
relationships have been analysed more in detail in later years, we observe that there is
an increase in the use of relationship-related variables in b-to-b and product studies
from 1998 onwards.
Relationship
quality
599
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43,5/6
600
Antecedents of RQ. In antecedents of RQ, we observe that the variables used by

researchers belong to the following four major categories:
(1) Characteristics of the two relationship parties (buyer and seller). These include
variables such as similarity (Crosby et al., 1990; Doney and Cannon, 1997;
Smith, 1998a; Boles et al., 2000); seller expertise (Crosby et al., 1990; Lagace et al.,
1991; Wray et al., 1994; Bejou et al., 1996; Doney and Cannon, 1997; Smith,
1998a; Boles et al., 2000); ethical behaviour (Lagace et al., 1991; Wray et al., 1994)
and orientation (Bejou et al., 1996); manufacturer strengths (Goodman and Dion,
2001); service provider attributes (Woo and Cha, 2002); the reputation and size
of the supplier (Doney and Cannon, 1997); the level of formalization and
centralization of firms (Dwyer and Oh, 1987; Menon et al., 1996); goal congruity
(Huntley, 2006); suppliers perceived reseller market orientation (Baker et al.,
1999), and adaptive selling behaviour (Park and Deitz, 2006). Also, a very
important characteristic of both supplier and buyer has to do with their
orientation towards relationships. This tendency to promote relationships is
conceptualised in many different manners. Woo and Cha (2002) term it
relationship orientation whereas Smith (1998a) uses relationalism and Boles
et al. (2000) develop the term relational selling behaviour that includes
information sharing and mutual disclosure (also used by Doney and Cannon,
1997; Zineldin, 1995; Leuthesser, 1997, and Lin and Ding, 2006); interaction
frequency; bilateral communication; courtesy, explanation and cooperative
intentions.
(2) Relationship attributes including the length or duration of the relationship
(Lagace et al., 1991; Wray et al., 1994; Bejou et al., 1996; Doney and Cannon,
1997; Smith, 1998a); structural or social bonds (Smith, 1998b; Scanlan and
McPhail, 2000; Venetis and Ghauri, 2004; Athanasopoulou, 2006); dependence
(Goodman and Dion, 2001; Van Bruggen et al., 2005) and power (Zineldin, 1995;
Doney and Cannon, 1997; Goodman and Dion, 2001); relationship termination
costs (Morgan and Hunt, 1994; Friman et al., 2002); relationship benefits
(Morgan and Hunt, 1994; Bowen and Shoemaker, 1998; Hennig-Thurau et al.,
2002; Friman et al., 2002); relationship switching costs (de Ruyeter et al., 2001;
Bowen and Shoemaker, 1998); cooperation (de Ruyeter et al., 2001; Zineldin,
1995); conflict handling (Selnes, 1998; Ndubisi, 2006) or harmonization of
conflict (de Ruyeter et al., 2001); less opportunistic behaviour (Morgan and
Hunt, 1994; Friman et al., 2002); fairness (distributive and procedural) (Kumar
et al., 1995); trust (Moorman et al., 1992; Goodman and Dion, 2001; Wong and
Sohal, 2002a; Venetis and Ghauri, 2004; Ndubisi, 2006); commitment (Selnes,
1998; Wong and Sohal, 2002a; Ndubisi, 2006), and relationship investment
(Smith, 1998a,b). Furthermore, some studies are interested in the existence of
communication barriers (Menon et al., 1996) and the nature and/or quality of
communication between the two relationship parties (Morgan and Hunt, 1994;
Selnes, 1998; Smith, 1998a; Friman et al., 2002; Sanzo et al., 2003;
Athanasopoulou, 2006). Finally, Leonidou et al., 2006 try to observe the
negative effects on RQ and study the levels of uncertainty, distance and conflict
and their effect on various dimensions of RQ.
(3) Offer characteristics (product or service) including product performance and

after sales service (de Ruyeter et al., 2001), and service quality (Wong and Sohal,
2002b; Roberts et al., 2003; Venetis and Ghauri, 2004; Carr, 2006).
(4) The role of the environment such as economic, political, legal, technical etc.
(Zineldin, 1995; Kumar et al., 1995).
Relationship
quality
The antecedents of RQ used vary widely in all studies. However, there are certain
variables that are used only in retail and services studies and include customer and
selling orientation; ethical behaviour and orientation, and relationship benefits. Also,
the most commonly used variables in all contexts include similarity; seller expertise;
relational selling behaviour; relationship duration or length, and communication
quality. Generally, the studies reviewed study endogenous variables. The role of
exogenous variables, such as the level of competition, geographical location of the firm
or other macro-economic conditions that could affect the ability of both relationship
sides to develop quality relationships, are not considered by RQ studies. The role of the
environment is taken into account in only two studies, and that is probably because the
development and nourishing of relationships is more an inside operation in each firm
and is not affected in any major way by environmental changes. On the other hand, we
can hypothesize that the study of exogenous or environmental effects on RQ will be
studied when the endogenous variables have been analysed in depth.
Furthermore, the time variable is included in many studies as relationship duration
or length and it is considered to be an antecedent of RQ. Time should really be integral
to any study that is relationship related. Relationships are the result of interactions
over time, and so, unlike transaction studies, must relate to time, even if only implicitly.
Time is also key to the economic rationale of relationship marketing strategies.
Relationships are costly for firms and economic advantage accrues over time as the
relationships become closer and their quality increases. Also, time is seen as an agent
in relationships since the longer the relationship, the more experience the two parties
have and the more benefits accrue from the relationship. This is essentially a
longitudinal, rather than cyclical, conceptualisation of time. The focus is upon
progression of relationships through time and time is seen as continuous, not episodic.
This is why many studies stress the importance of variables such as trust,
commitment, communication, cooperation, and bonds. All these become stronger as
time passes and the relationship becomes closer.
Also, another expression of the role of time in relationships is evident in a new way
of observing relationships, through studying the change of RQ in different relationship
stages of development (Scanlan and McPhail, 2000). In this approach, there is an
episodic examination of relationship development where time is seen as a series of
periods or stages. The relationship has a life cycle. This work builds on the awareness
that relationships are built, develop, and on the balance of probability, will end, and
attempts to understand this process and its effect on RQ. Finally, Hibbard et al., 2001
explore RQ in a marketing channel in two specific points in time (before and after a
destructive act). In this approach, time actually shows the changes in RQ, it is the
conceptualisation of this timely moment that the whole study is based on.
Moderating variables. The use of moderating variables is quite rare. Only four
studies use one or two variables to moderate relationships in their conceptual
frameworks. Probably the most important of these variables is the age of the
601
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relationship as relationship quality changes with time. Also, gender may be important
as a moderating variable since males and females tend to differ in relationship quality
perceptions and in the types of antecedents that influence these perceptions. This is
especially important in retail situations where customer behaviour may vary widely
according to gender. Product importance may also moderate certain relationships
especially when the supplied product is critical for the production of the end product or
when accurate service delivery is critical for the customer such as in medical or legal
services. Finally, buyers corporate culture and uncertainty are also used as
moderating variables and may influence the strength of relationships especially in
b-to-b contexts where it is important to have a relationship-oriented buyer or when the
market environment is uncertain and customers feel security from developing
long-term relationships with certain suppliers.
Categories of variables used by type of study. From the total of 64 studies, 29 use all
three categories of variables (full frameworks) whereas nine studies analyse only one
category of variables although most of these focus on creating a measurement scale for
RQ. Finally, the rest of the studies (26) look at only one part of the RQ framework
(either antecedents and RQ 17 studies, or consequences and RQ nine studies).
Looking at seller studies we observe that only two out of the seven use full
frameworks and only two analyse service markets. Relationship quality is
conceptualised using a number of the following variables: trust, communication,
commitment, satisfaction, cooperation, adaptation and understanding. Three seller
studies use communication quality as an antecedent and two studies use relationship
termination costs and benefits and opportunistic behaviour. Product studies use
performance indicators for consequences whereas in services the length of relationship
is more of interest.
Dyad studies are only three and two of them use a full framework. The interesting
part in Han et al. (1993) is that consequences are split in two categories: buyers and
suppliers, because there are different ways the two parties will measure the effects of
relationship quality. For buyers, it is important to have purchasing efficiency whereas
suppliers will have enhanced marketing efficiency; price/production stability; optimal
capacity planning and customer orientation.
In business-to-business situations almost half of the studies (15 out of 38) use a full
framework and another 12 look at the first part of the framework (antecedents and RQ).
There are only seven studies looking at consequences and RQ and four that deal with
only one category of variables. In contrast, retail situations present more complete
frameworks. More than half of the studies (ten out of 19) use all three types of variables
and five look at one category. So, there is a focus on one part of the framework only or
on full analysis. Also studies in products use less full frameworks than services.
Specifically, only ten product studies are full (out of 26) and almost half of the studies
(12) look only at antecedents and RQ. In the meantime, the consequences of RQ are less
important and are analysed in only three studies and only one study focuses on one
category of variables. On the other hand, in services more than half of the studies (14
out of 25) use full frameworks whereas only three look at the antecedents of RQ and
four at the consequences of RQ.
The conclusion is that retail and service studies use more full frameworks but fewer
variables than products or b-to-b studies. This may be due to the abstract character of
services or to the more complex behaviour of retail customers. Also, product and b-to-b
studies are interested equally on either full frameworks or on the antecedents of RQ. In
contrast, retail and service studies include very few cases where antecedents or
consequences are analysed and that could be due to the fact that this stream of research
has turned to retail and service settings in recent years and more general studies are
needed before researchers can focus on one part of the framework that could change in
different contexts.
Relationship
quality
603
Conclusions
The major conclusion that is drawn from this review is that although most studies are
empirically rigorous, the field is very broad and there is no accepted framework. The
only area of convergence is the three major dimensions of RQ (trust, commitment and
satisfaction) that have been used in many studies and have been validated in different
contexts. Also, another important observation is that there are very few international
studies although international trade increases rapidly. Thirdly, the role of the
environment is neglected in RQ studies although it would be extremely critical
especially for multi-country studies where cultural and other environmental factors
influence the development of relationships across countries. Finally, some of the
studies reviewed involve specialized markets such as market research services or
consulting engineering services and most studies focus on a certain market since
results could be different if the product or service context changes. Although such
studies may be more applicable and have stronger conclusions, their generalisability is
low.
Developmental trends in the literature
The study of the RQ area reveals certain research trends that have started developing
in the literature. First, research has started looking at relationship quality in different
stages of relationship development. It is only natural that as the relationship becomes
closer and time passes, antecedents and consequences of RQ change as well as the
dimensions that make up such quality.
A second trend involves the quality of online relationships. Researchers try to
determine whether variables that affect the quality of other relationships, also have an
effect in the online environment and which new variables emerge.
Third, some studies go out of the ordinary and look at somewhat different types of
relationships either within the same company (e.g. between manufacturer and its
salespeople Park and Deitz, 2006) or between two parties but not in the traditional
buying and selling roles (e.g. department stores and their tenants Ramaseshan et al.,
2006; or service firms and their international partners Friman et al., 2002; or football
teams and their sponsors Farrelly and Quester, 2005; or charities and their
beneficiaries Bennett and Barkensjo, 2005). These relationships have special
characteristics and therefore it is important to determine whether the variables
connected to traditional relationship quality can be implemented in these
circumstances.
Agenda for future research
Based on the insights of this review we conclude that future research should be guided
by the following guidelines.
EJM
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604
Type of context and perspective

There is a need to focus future research more on services (both professional and retail)
and on retail relationships (both in products and services). Also, we need more seller
studies in order to test models from the other side of the relationship and dyad studies
in order to find out whether RQ dimensions, antecedents and consequences are the
same in both sides in the same context.
Also, the full frameworks that have been developed should be validated across
different types of relationships and products or services in order to increase their
generalisability. Furthermore, there is a need for more multi-country studies in order to
test whether cultural and other environmental or exogenous factors affect RQ and in
what way. Also, the nature of online relationships needs further studying in order to
create an established framework for future research in this very complex field. Finally,
the change in RQ in different relationship development stages is a new area of research
that could explain many problems addressed by firms in the development of RQ.
Further studies should establish whether the same RQ framework can be used for all
development stages or there is a need for variation of certain variables in certain
stages.
Methodology
Methodologically, since the major part of existing studies are quantitative, we need
more qualitative studies (case studies, interviews etc) in order to get more detailed
insights into the variables that affect RQ in each context. The complex constructs
involved in relationship quality, its inherent dimensions and its antecedents and
consequences call for significantly more qualitative enquiries in order to provide richer
data and advance theory.
Variable selection
In order to offer suggestions as to which variables should be used most in future
studies, we tried to put together a general conceptual framework that derives from this
review and its conclusions (see Figure 1). This general framework can be used in all
contexts and researchers can differentiate the ultimate variables used (e.g. which
provider characteristics to use). In essence, this framework can guide researchers for
the development of appropriate scales for future RQ related studies.
Figure 1.
Relationship quality: a
conceptual framework
New types of relationships

Lately research has started shifting towards the study of new types of relationships
that hold promise for future research. Firstly, the term relationship broadens
conceptually and includes parties that are not necessarily individuals or businesses
such as the customer and the different tourism destinations (Huang and Chiu, 2006), or
consumers and brands. Also, the study of relationships where the two parties do not
assume the traditional buyer and seller roles have attracted research attention lately.
So, an interesting new research area is the examination of the quality of such
relationships.
Second, the study of dyadic relationships has neglected to analyse relationships of
firms with the government; not for profit businesses, and multinational or regional
agencies such as the World Bank or the World trade Organization or other aid
agencies. All these relationships will provide new perspectives of relationship quality
since the role of the participants is not strictly a buyer-seller role.
Third, another important issue in RQ research is the role of intermediaries and their
relationships with customers especially in certain types of products and services where
intermediaries develop the relationship with customers (e.g. financial services or
insurance).
Finally, it is important to note that there is a need for more research into
cross-border relationships and the important influence of cultural traits such as the
ones proposed by Hofstede (1983, 1994) that differ between countries. This review
shows that only four studies deal with cross-border relationships (Johnson et al., 1993;
Friman et al., 2002; Lages et al., 2005, and Leonidou et al., 2006) and concern mainly the
relationship between exporters and importers of products. Only Friman et al. (2002)
analyse the relationship between service firms and their international partners.
However, the issue of culture and specifically the difference of cultural traits and its
significance for relationship quality is only evident in Leonidou et al. (2006) where the
authors investigate the role of uncertainly, distance and conflict as antecedents of
various dimensions of RQ. As a result, there is a need for further examination of
peoples cultural characteristics and their influence on cross-border relationship
quality.
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About the author
Pinelopi Athanasopoulou holds a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from the Athens
University of Economics and Business, an MBA from Manchester Business School, and a PhD in
Marketing from Cass Business School, London. Her research interests centre on new service
development, communication, relationship marketing and branding. She is currently a Lecturer
in Marketing in the Sport Management Department of the University of Peloponnese in Greece.
Her current research interests focus on relationship quality and brand extensions. Pinelopi
Athanasopoulou can be contacted at: athanapi@uop.gr
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Henning-Thurau and Klee, 1997,

Leuthesser, 1997, IMM

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