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proposes that who have more knowledge about their buyers give more effective presentations. Addresses this issue by examining the evaluative criteria held by different functional roles represented in the decision‐making unit, how those criteria differ across the various roles, and howknowledge of this can be incorporated into sales training programs to give salespeople more information on their customers and help them be more effective during the sales interaction.

Discusses the ever increasing sophistication of buyers in today′s industrial market and the need for sales people who have an in‐depth knowledge of their customers′ products and are able to liaise effectively between their own manufacturing department and the purchasing agent. Considers the establishment ofsales centres and the use of salespeople as intermediaries, coordinating the company′s sales functions (e.g. R&D, sales support), with their counterparts in the buying organization. concludes that salespeople can be viewed as the “linchpin” of the selling process, before, during and after the contract is completed.

Modern procurement is being shifted from paper‐based, people‐intensive buying systems toward electronic‐based purchase procedures that rely on Internet communications and Web‐enhanced buying tools. Develops a typology of e‐commerce tools that have come to characterize cutting‐edge industrial procurement. E‐commerce aspects of purchasing are organized into communication and transaction tools that encompass both internal and external buying activities. Further, a model of the impact of e‐commerce on the structure and processes of an organization’s buying center is developed. The impact of the changing buying center on procurement outcomes in terms of efficiency and effectiveness is also analyzed. Finally, implications for business‐to‐business marketers and researchers are discussed.

In recent years, many firms from developing countries (LDCs) have engaged in foreign direct investment (FDI). Interestingly some of these firms locate their investments in developed countries (DCs) (i.e., upstream FDI), instead of in countries economically similar to or less than their home countries (i.e., downstream FDI). However, only a few researchers have examined the issues related to upstream FDI. Furthermore, when examining FDI, most studies have focused on manufacturing subsidiaries but paid less attention to sales subsidiaries. Due to the differences in nature, management of manufacturing and sales subsidiaries should be different. Using a case study approach and focusing on the behaviors of Taiwanese firms, we address two research questions: (1) what are the channel strategies adopted by the sales subsidiaries of Taiwanese high-tech firms (i.e., multinational corporations (MNCs) from LDCs (LDCMNCs)) in DCs? and (2) how do these subsidiaries manage their channels in DCs? Our findings are: (1) LDCMNCs tend to use multiple sales channels, to work with large national distributors, and to adopt high touch channels to market products in DCs; (2) to reduce channel conflict, less powerful LDCMNCs tend to adopt multiple independent channel system, instead of dual channel system; and (3) due to limited resources, LDCMNCs make more effort on designing channel conflict prevention mechanisms than designing channel conflict resolution mechanisms, emphasize more on building relationships with distributors and tend to use financial incentives/high-power incentives than use other types of incentives to motivate distributors. The findings of this study are helpful for LDC firms to operate their sales subsidiaries more effectively in DCs.

This research proposes ideal interaction patterns for structural dimensions (buyer and supplier representatives involved in the interaction and buyer and supplier critical capabilities) for transport service outsourcing. The purpose of this paper is to establish whether those ideal interaction patterns are determinants of success of the interaction. In this paper, the latter is measured against the corresponding process success and outcome success.

This paper proposes a conceptual model based on the prior literature and adapted to this specific case of transport services. The proposed model is approached using the partial least squares simultaneous equation models. For this, the result of a survey to senior management at European machinery, electronics and automotive sector manufacturing plants has been used.

When companies possess the proposed ideal patterns for the structural dimensions, this brings with it positive effects on both the process success and the outcome success obtained by the outsourcing plant. Therefore, buyer-supplier relationships have been recognized to play a key role in the outcomes of this interaction and that the design and management of interfaces between companies and their logistics providers are critical.

Managers can use the present research findings to produce an appropriate interaction design that includes the representatives and capabilities required to make transport service outsourcing a success.

This paper contributes to the literature on transport research by specifically establishing ideal interaction patterns for the structural dimensions that buyer and supplier’s companies need to consider for achieving successful transport services outsourcing. Besides, the present research proposes a multidimensional measure of outcome success that combines major strategic, operational and financial outputs. Finally, this research represents the first survey-based empirical evidence on the topic, having used a sample of 93 plants belonging to many different companies in five European countries.

The purpose of this study is to explore the dynamics of trust creation in an early buyer–supplier relationship phase at the interpersonal level. The authors use a brand-based communication approach to investigate the trust–risk–commitment link.

Survey data from 204 senior managers in small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) in Australia were collected and analyzed.

Results indicate that ability, credibility, benevolence and persona of supplier brand representatives (SBRs) relate significantly to a buyers’ trust in SBR, leading to diminished perceived risk, and increased relationship commitment between the parties. These findings support the importance of using individual representatives who are able to broadcast their supplier’s brand values, and increase trust in exploratory buyer–supplier relationships.

This research focused on SMEs in Australia, investigating exploratory phase of the interpersonal relationships. Future research can investigate large firms interacting in different relationship phases in the light of brand-based communication.

The study describes several strategies for both buying and supplying firms to use, to best use brand-based communication as a means to build trust in the early phases of buyer–supplier relationships.

Prior research has focused on interorganizational trust and established or mature buyer–supplier relationships. This study investigates the initial phase of buyer–supplier relationships, and at the interpersonal exchange level. It also incorporates a role for brand-based communication in the buyer–supplier relationship which has received limited attention in the literature.