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Facilitating weaker firms’ market knowledge in asymmetric B2B relationship from structure, process, and strategy aspects – a case of travel industry

Kuan-Yang Chen (Department of Leisure Industry and Health Promotion, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Science, Taipei, Taiwan)
Tzung-Cheng Huan (Department of Marketing and Tourism Management, National Chiayi University, Chiayi, Taiwan and Department of Hotel Management, Tainan University of Technology, Tainan, Taiwan)

Journal of Knowledge Management

ISSN: 1367-3270

Publication date: 31 March 2020

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore three critical factors, namely, specific assets investment (SAI), knowledge integration mechanism (KIM) and complementary capability (CC), the antecedents of market knowledge from on structure, process and strategy aspects. This study then tests their effects on the market knowledge-market performance linkage in an asymmetric commerce relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

This study identified the asymmetric business-to-business (B2B) channel relationship of travel service industry. A total of 248 responses were received from the two waves of data collection and the data was analyzed by the structural equation modeling method.

Findings

Based on the managerial theory related to transaction cost, knowledge-based view and resource-dependent, SAI, KIM and CC all affect market knowledge, and had an indirect effect on market performance; market knowledge significantly and positively affects market performance.

Research limitations/implications

In addition to relationship marketing or social exchange theory, this study provides an integrated framework with different theoretical studies to supplement the explanation of relationship marketing theory in the non-significant relationship between trust and commitment and their outcomes.

Practical implications

This study provides answers for weaker firms how to enhance their market knowledge from their stronger partners.

Originality/value

No current studies have explored how service firms with weak bargaining power could enhance their market knowledge under an imbalanced B2B relationship. This supports the call for the possible factors as the key antecedents of market knowledge on the asymmetric B2B relationship.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This study is supported and funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (MOST 108-2628-H-227-001-MY2) to Kuan-Yuan Chen.

Citation

Chen, K.-Y. and Huan, T.-C. (2020), "Facilitating weaker firms’ market knowledge in asymmetric B2B relationship from structure, process, and strategy aspects – a case of travel industry", Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 24 No. 3, pp. 697-716. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-01-2020-0017

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Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited

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