Power in Business Relationships

Focusing on the issue of power as the main building block of relationships between business buyers and sellers, this book explains the complex nature of power with its multidimensional and multi-directional character.

As a complex construct, inter-firm power is treated as a matter of perception as well as in terms of total and relative power. The book analyses extensively the issue of power asymmetry with its dynamics and its consequences for business-to-business (B2B) relationships, particularly analyzing the dynamic mechanism of power. Various theoretical domains or research streams regarding managing an asymmetrical business relationship by the weaker partner are also examined. Based on the studies of other scholars as well as on the authors’ own research, this book shows how weaker suppliers or buyers deal with high-power partners in business relationships and the approaches of more powerful parties to asymmetrical relationship development. Additionally, the book presents the specific nature of power in international B2B relationships, including its connection to culture and conflict, as well as how to handle power in managing export performance within international B2B relationships.

It is written for scholars and students who are interested in academic research concerning B2B marketing and B2B relationship marketing domains, specifically those who are interested in literature dealing with supply chain management, key account management, relationship portfolio management, distribution channel management and the network approach.