A cross-national study of interdependence structure and distributor attitudes: the moderating effect of group orientation

摘要

Extant literature on channel management highlights the important link between the interdependence of channel members and distributor attitudes. The study reported here expands the scope of this research stream in two ways. First, expanding the national scope of the research, the author contrasts the United States with Japan and suggests that the interdependence structure and its links with distributor attitudes are contingent on the cultural context of a distribution channel system: the extent of group orientation. Second, expanding the scope of the research beyond consumer product channels, the author examines distribution channels for industrial products. The author conducts a two-stage analysis with the data from national surveys of industrial distributors in the United States and Japan. The results of the cross-national analysis support the moderating effect of group orientation on the link between interdependence asymmetry and distributor attitudes partially. The results of the country-level analysis show some intriguing similarities and differences between the United States and Japan.