Original scientific paper
HOW QUALITATIVE ELEMENTS OF RELATIONAL EXCHANGES INFLUENCE AN IMPLEMENTATION OF PURCHASING MARKETING STRATEGIES – A CASE OF SERVICE COMPANIES IN SLOVENIA
Matijaz Irsic
Abstract
The author examines a relationship between the qualitative elements of relational exchanges and the
implementation of relationship marketing strategies vs. transactional marketing strategies from the
buyer's perspective in business-to-business exchanges. Therefore, four groups of qualitative relational
exchange' factors have been determined: attractiveness of supplier, attractiveness of total purchasing
market for the buyer, competitive position of the buyer on the purchasing market, and the bargaining
orientation of the buyer toward its strategic supplier. Drawing on emerging perspectives on service
companies with more than 200 employees in Slovenia and their relationship with strategic suppliers,
the author proposes that a buyer's perception of qualitative elements of relational exchanges
influences employment of particular marketing strategies towards its strategic supplier. Results of
empirical study show some correlation between the groups of variables investigated. The influence of
measured factors on the implementation of particular group of marketing strategies exists, although
the strongest impact is prevailed especially by factors, which are characteristic for short-term
relationships. Hence the surveyed companies are oriented much more toward achieving short-term
efficiency instead of long-term effectiveness. This research makes a contribution to the strategy
literature and to the practitioners, and has important implications for purchasing managers by
offering guidelines for mixing the various aspects of partnering according to their objectives and
strategies in order to improve the level of their relational approach to their strategic suppliers.
Keywords
qualitative elements of relational exchange; transactional marketing; relationship marketing; purchasing marketing strategies
Hrčak ID:
67738
URI
Publication date:
1.3.2011.
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