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The purpose of this paper is to analyze, for both parties of a distribution channel, to what extent each party perceives the counterpart’s use of performance measurement systems (PMS) and how this perception affects the perceiver’s own use of these systems, for either decision control or decision management.

The paper proposes a conceptual model tested at different levels using structural equations models. A case study uses survey data from 107 distributors and 91 manufacturer managers.

PMS allow evaluation by the manufacturer and daily management by distributors; both uses of PMS can be simultaneous and complementary. Results show that each party’s perception of the counterpart’s use contributes to its own use, although real uses do not significantly influence these perceptions.

The results must be interpreted with caution because the sample is small. This study calls for further data collection in real situations with larger samples, and for eliminating the influence of the distribution channel type. Further work is needed to analyze other constructs driving the relationship between real use and perception.

This study’s originality comes from the conceptual model, data set, and levels of analysis. Decoupling real use and perception, it challenges the prevailing assumption that managers accurately perceive counterpart managers’ use of PMS. Analyzing at both group and individual levels, it extends the more usual dyadic studies by recognizing that any given manager’s perception may be almost wholly formed by his/her interaction with a group of individuals.

The paper aims to identify and report service quality dimensions critical to distributors’ perception of the quality of services their suppliers provide (Manufactures).

This research used unstructured interviews and focused group discussions. The authors have interviewed ten distributors and ten frontline managers of three mid-size Consumer Packaged Goods companies operating in India. Two focused group discussions were conducted involving academicians and practitioners in the service quality domain.

Seven quality dimensions critical to a distributor’s service quality evaluation have been identified. Except for tangibility, all other SERVQUAL dimensions have been found relevant. Three additional dimensions, namely “Fairness,” “Accessibility” and “Image quality,” have been identified. The authors made a theoretical contribution by not only identifying the relevant dimension but also proving their context-specific definition. The authors also present managerial implications and recommendations to improve the service experience of distributors.

This paper investigates the distributor–manufacturer dyadic relationship from a service quality perspective for the first time. This study made a theoretical contribution by explicitly identifying service quality dimensions for a manufacturer-to-distributor (M2D) service relationship.

Inter‐firm channel relationships have recently attracted great interest in academic research. This paper attempts to make a study of the governance mechanisms in manufacturer‐distributor relationships and the role played by the relationalism perceived by channel members. In particular, the aim is to account for why exclusive dealing and exclusive territories agreements frequently appear in association. Two theories are compared regarding this question. In one of the theories relationalism plays a mediating role between both vertical restraints, whereas according to the other theory the relation between the two is independent of the degree of relationalism. A sample of 96 Spanish manufacturers was used to test the hypotheses proposed, obtaining empirical support for both theories.

The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast wine sales in neighboring franchise law and non‐franchise law states in order to determine impact on wine price, consumer choice, consumer satisfaction, and stakeholder perception.

The study used qualitative interviews with 14 wineries, distributors, and retailers, statistical analysis of Nielsen Scantrack data, and an online survey of 401 wine consumers in Georgia and Florida, USA.

Results show statistical proof that Florida offers more wine selection and lower wine prices on matching brands than Georgia. Qualitative interviews indicate wineries, distributors, and retailers perceive differences in wine choice, price, and overall operating costs in these two states. However, there was no statistical difference between a sample of 401 consumers from Georgia and Florida when asked about their satisfaction level with wine choice and pricing within their state.

For practical purposes, the research was limited to only two US states. It would be useful to duplicate this study in other states.

Practical implications include the need for new wineries desiring to enter franchise law states to carefully research regulations and distributors before making a commitment, as well as the social issue of less wine choice and higher prices for consumers in Georgia versus Florida.

This is the first empirical study in the USA to focus on the impact of wine franchise laws on consumer choice and wine price. It yields useful information that contributes to the body of knowledge for wine and policy research.

This paper seeks to report the results of a study examining the effects of manufacturer-distributor relationships' governance structures (market governance, third-party enforcement of agreements and self-enforcing governance modes) on the distributor's willingness to collaborate with the manufacturer.

To test the hypotheses, survey data were gathered from 224 wholesalers from the food and beverage industry in Spain. Manufacturer-distributor collaboration refers to the possibility of sharing strategic information and encouraging creativity. Regression analyses illustrate the differences in the distributor's willingness to collaborate with the manufacturer under different governance scenarios.

The study illustrates that the greater the skill of the manufacturers and distributors in developing self-enforcing governance modes (e.g. bilateral formal safeguards and bilateral informal safeguards) that complement third-party enforcement of agreements (e.g. legal contracts), the greater the willingness of both to share strategic information and creativity will be. Furthermore, this investigation delineates the moderating effect of opportunism on the relationship between governance and the distributor's willingness to collaborate with the manufacturer. Finally, the results show that the distributor's willingness to share strategic information has an inverted-U relationship with creativity and innovation development in manufacturer-distributor relationships.

The study's findings allow firms to concentrate their efforts on the most relevant governance structures that minimize transaction costs and provide incentives to develop collaborative manufacturer-distributor relationships and create value for the customer.

The research acknowledges the multidimensional nature of collaboration and goes deeper into the need to share strategic information (external and internal strategic information) and the factors that compose the generation of creative ideas in the manufacturer-distributor relationship (knowledge-sharing routines, learning orientation, open-mindedness and management support). Additionally, although research on collaborative distribution channel practices has advanced over the past decades, the importance of governance structures to the development of collaborative practices has not been firmly established. The paper addresses this void in the literature by reporting the results of an empirical study examining manufacturer-distributor collaborations within the food and beverage industry in Spain.

The aim of this paper is to contribute to the services marketing literature by developing a scale based on Parasuraman’s SERVQUAL scale for the measurement of distributor perceived service quality at the distributor–manufacturer interface of the pharmaceutical supply chain.

Based on a literature review and discussions with experts, a questionnaire was designed basing on the widely used service quality measurement scale (SERVQUAL). Personal survey was conducted among selected distributors spread over three major cities of the Indian pharmaceutical market. The study used the exploratory factor analysis to identify the critical factors of service quality followed by the confirmatory factor analysis (AMOS 20).

A valid scale with four dimensions – (reliability, assurance, responsiveness and communication) and 13 items for measuring the distributor perceived service quality was developed which also satisfied all the reliability and validity tests. The findings of the present study indicate that distributor perceived service quality has an effect on satisfaction.

The proposed scale is an attempt to explore the less researched area. This study will give further insights to researchers to measure service quality at different phases of the pharmaceutical supply chain. The study is limited to three cities; it can be extended to other regions of the country. This study will be helpful to the practicing managers to measure the service quality and improve the performance in the pharmaceutical supply chain.

Service quality in pharmaceutical supply chain is very important, as it directly effects the health of the people, so the proposed scale can be used to control the quality of service.

The scale developed in this study can also be used for measuring distributor perceived service quality in other manufacturing sectors. This research provides direction and scope for further research to develop new concepts and models in measuring service quality in the supply chain.

Examines the pattern of relationships between foreign manufacturing firms and local third‐party distributors and the effective management and co‐ordination of supplier‐distributor relationships in China. Case studies of four foreign‐funded food manufacturers in China have been conducted. Different distributorship and styles of relationship management have been identified in each firm. Major relational constructs examined include channel conflicts and relationships, power sources and relational outcomes. Nine propositions have been derived from the findings. Research and managerial implications have also been discussed.

In the agri-food industries, particular importance is given to distribution. Indeed, maintaining good relationships with distributors is a necessity for industries seeking sound marketing performance. In this context, Moroccan agri-food companies recognize the importance of developing customer loyalty. They focus on maintaining good relationships based on trust with their distributors. Considerable research has investigated trust in business-to-business (B-to-B) relationships; however, research in the agri-food industry needs further investigation. Indeed, some past research studied the effect of benevolence on loyalty (Chen, 2008; Rampl, Eberhardt, Schütte & Kenning, 2012) but they ignored studying the effect on two types of loyalty – attitudinal and behavioral – in agri-food industries.

The paper here contributes to the literature in a number of meaningful ways. First, we explore loyalty strategies used by agri-food industries to maintain distributors. This enables us to better understand how trust can boost agri-food B-to-B relationships and distributor’s loyalty. We also investigate exactly the trust dimension (benevolence; credibility) that affects more loyalty in the agri-food industry. A better understanding of the trust dimension should provide practical guidelines as to how to facilitate loyalty in B-to-B relationships. In addition, we test the two dimensions of loyalty and the importance of the attitudinal one. Using structural equation modeling to analyze data, our findings confirm the importance of benevolence in relationships between Moroccan agri-food industries and their distributors. Indeed, the results explain that the development of customer loyalty is influenced by the development of benevolence in relationships with distributors, especially on attitudinal loyalty.

The ability to operate global distribution channels of products is commonly considered a critical determinant of a manufacturer’s competitiveness. Nowadays, many products are often complemented with value-added services challenging the efficacy of the status quo of distribution channels. Investigating this rather new phenomenon, the purpose of this paper is to provide an initial understanding of the implications of servitization for manufacturers’ global business-to-business (B2B) distribution.

The aim is to elaborate service-dominant logic (SDL) in the context of global B2B distribution. The study builds on case study data collected from a medium-sized European manufacturing company offering production equipment and solutions, and three of its global distributors.

The results indicate that the co-producing customer value, the increasing role of operant resources of both a distributor and a manufacturer, and triadic co-creation between a manufacturer, a distributor and an end customer have increasing importance in the indirect distribution network.

Data are limited to data collected from a single in-depth case study. The results of this study should be investigated by collecting more data in a broader context in the form of surveys.

Several guidelines related to global distribution are developed for managers, and current distributor selection criteria are completed to meet the needs of this servitization approach.

Empirical research on servitizing manufacturers with global B2B distribution is scarce. This paper employs SDL to provide an in-depth understanding of the implications of servitization for distribution.

Substandard medicines contribute to poor public health and affect development, especially in the developing world. However knowledge of how manufacturers, distributors and providers understand the concept of drug quality and what strategies they adopt to ensure drug quality is limited, particularly in the developing world. The purpose of this paper is to explore pharmaceutical manufacturers', distributors' and providers' perceptions of drug quality in South Africa and how they ensure the quality of drugs during the distribution process.

The approach taken was qualitative data collection through key informant interviews using a semi‐structured interview guide. Transcripts were analysed thematically in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban, South Africa. Participants were recruited purposefully from a South African pharmaceutical manufacturer, SA subsidiaries of international manufacturers, national distribution companies, national wholesaler, public and private sector pharmacists, and a dispensing doctor. In total, ten interviews were conducted.

Participants described drug quality in terms of the product and the processes involved in manufacturing and handling the product. Participants identified purchasing registered medicines from licensed suppliers, use of standard operating procedures, and audits between manufacturer and distributor and/or provider as key strategies employed to protect medicine quality. Effective communication amongst all stakeholders, especially in terms of providing feedback regarding complaints about medicine quality, appears as a potential area of concern, which would benefit from further research.

The paper hightlights that ensuring medicine quality should be a shared responsibility amongst all involved in the distribution process to prevent medicines moving from one distribution system (public) into another (private).