The role of norms in early stages of business relationships: An action research approach

Christoph M. Ott

jbm - Journal of Business Market Management, 2012, vol. 5, issue 4, 215-243

Abstract: Long-term business relationships between actors are a common mode of exchange in business markets. There has been increasing interest in the governance of long-term business relationships. However, little is known about governance issues in early stages of relationships. The goal of this paper is to put forth a seldom-used methodological approach in marketing to contribute to understanding the role of behavioral norms during the pre-contractual phase of a long-term business relationship. The background of this research project is the initial stages of two case studies of long-term business relationship between a school and investment partners prior to the contract signature with the intent of establishing a new school. Results of the occurrence of norms show that both parties first need to define the framework of their relationship before beginning joint value creation. Furthermore, a gradual increase of usage of norms seems to have a positive effect on a nascent business relationship.

Keywords: behavioral norms; norm dimension; action research; relational exchange theory; long-term business relationships (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:fubjbm:68477

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