Purpose Given the critical role of internet tools in the multi-channel context, we propose that interactions enabled by inter-organizational systems (IOS) and social media can effectively mitigate multi-channel conflict. Furthermore, drawing upon task-technology fit (TTF) theory, we aim to explore the moderating roles of firms’ IT infrastructure capability and channel personnel's IT usage capability in influencing the effectiveness of these two types of interactions. Design/methodology/approach Utilizing a dataset comprising 484 survey responses from manufacturers, we employed the hierarchical multiple regression method to empirically examine the research hypotheses. Findings IOS- and social media-enabled interactions negatively correlate with multi-channel conflict. In addition, an alignment is observed between the two types of interactions and firms’ IT capabilities. Specifically, the negative relationship between IOS-enabled interaction and multi-channel conflict is more pronounced for firms with a high level of IT infrastructure capability. Meanwhile, the negative relationship between social media-enabled interaction and multi-channel conflict is stronger when channel personnel possess high IT usage capability. Originality/value This study is the first to investigate how IOS- and social media-enabled interactions can effectively alleviate multi-channel conflict, extending prior research on mitigating such conflicts and contributing to the literature on IOS and social media. Furthermore, this study enriches TTF research by highlighting the strategic alignment between these two types of interactions and IT capabilities.

Purpose This study aims to explore contract ambiguity as a contract adjustment tactic to respond to two characteristics of interfirm conflict (intensity vs frequency) and examine how contract ambiguity influences relationship satisfaction in conjunction with institutional factors. Design/methodology/approach The authors test their model with data from 207 interfirm relationships. Structural equation modeling and hierarchical moderated regressions are used to test the hypotheses, followed by four supplementary analyses to verify the reliability of the findings. Findings In contract adjustment tactics, higher conflict intensity is associated with greater contract ambiguity, whereas higher conflict frequency results in less ambiguity. High conflict frequency offsets the ambiguity-generating effects of high conflict intensity, ultimately driving firms to reduce contract ambiguity. In addition, relationship importance moderates the above correlations. Moreover, in the post-adjustment stage, formal governance through legal development and informal governance through social engagement moderate the impact of contract ambiguity on relationship satisfaction. Research limitations/implications The authors advance contract learning theory by uncovering the role of contract ambiguity as a contract adjustment tactic and enrich the conflict management literature by examining the effectiveness of contract ambiguity to manage two characteristics of conflict (intensity vs frequency). The authors also demonstrate how legal development and social engagement vary the effect of contract ambiguity on relationship satisfaction. Practical implications The authors suggest that firms should consider the characteristics of interfirm conflict when selecting a contract adjustment tactic. The authors recommend that the focal dyad adjust the contract contingent on the requirement of external legal development. The authors also recommend that the focal firm increase social activities with its partner following contract adjustment to leverage the advantages of contract ambiguity. Originality/value This study conceptualizes and distinguishes two characteristics of interfirm conflicts and examines the effectiveness of contract ambiguity to manage conflicts. By correlating them with relationship importance, legal development and social engagement as contingent variables, the authors provide substantive theoretical and practical implications for optimizing relationship satisfaction and contract adjustment tactics in interfirm relationships.

Purpose This study examines the relationships among channel organization forms (as governance strategies), and channel control mechanisms in marketing channels, investigating how different organization forms correspond to specific governance strategies and control mechanisms. Design/methodology/approach The empirical analysis uses 183 survey responses from Chinese marketing channels. The study employs QCA method in two stages: first to identify the corresponding relationship between channel organization forms and governance strategies, and second to examine the differences in control mechanisms across various organization forms. Findings The study identifies four distinct channel organization forms through five configurations: corporate, franchised, managerial, and relational types. Each form employs different control mechanisms: the corporate type uses either contractual mechanisms or a combination of power and normative mechanisms; the franchised type relies on contractual mechanisms; the managerial type utilizes power mechanisms; and the relational type implements normative mechanisms supplemented by either contractual or power mechanisms. Research Implications This study establishes empirical connections among channel organization forms, governance strategies, and control mechanisms within a unified research framework, providing empirical support for existing theoretical models and enriching the understanding of the interrelationships in marketing channel management. Practical Implications The findings offer guidance for firms in developing and selecting appropriate channel governance strategies and control mechanisms based on their organizational form, helping managers make more informed decisions about channel design and management. Originality/value The innovative application of QCA method in a two-stage approach allows for a nuanced understanding of the complex configurations in marketing channels. This study bridges theoretical concepts with empirical evidence, contributing to both the academic literature and practical knowledge in channel management within the Chinese context.

PurposeAdvances in information and communication technology (ICT) have significantly enhanced firms' interactions. However, interactions enabled by interorganizational information system (IOS) and public social media (PSM) may affect channel conflicts differently due to the two platforms' distinct characteristics. Drawing on open systems theory, this study aims to develop a conceptual framework that examines the effects of channel multiplicity on conflicts and the moderating roles of IOS- and PSM-enabled interactions in the relationship between channel multiplicity and conflicts.Design/methodology/approachThe authors test the research hypotheses using survey data from 520 manufacturers and regional economic development data from China. The collected data are analyzed using statistical inference.FindingsThe results confirm that channel multiplicity positively affects conflicts and that these effects are moderated in different ways by IOS- and PSM-enabled interactions. IOS-enabled interactions attenuate the positive relationship between channel multiplicity and horizontal conflict, but strengthen the positive relationship between channel multiplicity and vertical conflict. By contrast, PSM-enabled interactions strengthen the positive relationship between channel multiplicity and channel conflicts.Research limitations/implicationsThe results confirm that channel multiplicity positively affects both horizontal and vertical conflicts and that these effects are moderated in different ways by IOS- and PSM-enabled interactions. IOS-enabled interactions attenuate the positive relationship between channel multiplicity and horizontal conflict, but strengthen the positive relationship between channel multiplicity and vertical conflict. By contrast, PSM-enabled interactions strengthen the positive relationship between channel multiplicity and channel conflicts.Practical implicationsThis study offers valuable guidance for manufacturers in managing multichannel conflict and promoting performance. The authors explain how multichannel managers can mitigate horizontal and vertical conflicts through ICT adoption. The conceptual framework incorporates the relationships among channel multiplicity, conflicts, ICT-enabled interactions and channel performance, enabling us to show that horizontal conflict increases channel performance.Originality/valueThe findings provide insights into how managers can leverage IOS and PSM platforms to manage multichannel conflict among contemporary firms. Moreover, the results suggest that IOS- and PSM-enabled interactions play different informational roles in the relationship between channel multiplicity and conflicts, providing a meaningful perspective on firms' knowledge activities in the era of multichannel distribution.

PurposeAs a core variable in omni-channel marketing, channel diversity was measured differently, namely through counting, Likert scaling, and entropy. This study examines the reliability and validity of these measurement methods, enhancing the operability and comparability of subsequent research in omni-channel marketing.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 216 manufacturers across China through questionnaires that incorporated all three measurement methods. The study assessed the reliability, face validity, content validity, and instrument validity of each measurement method, along with correlation analyses between them. Heterogeneity analysis was conducted across different contexts to examine method applicability.FindingsResults demonstrate that all three measurement methods exhibit good reliability, face validity, content validity, and instrument validity. Despite differences in data accuracy and acquisition difficulty, the methods show consistency in reflecting channel diversity levels. The entropy method provides mathematical rigor with the highest complexity, the Likert scaling method captures quality differences with medium complexity, while the counting method offers cost-effectiveness with lowest complexity.Originality/valueThis study provides a comparison of channel diversity measurement methods, offering confidence and guidance for omni-channel marketing research. The findings enable researchers to select appropriate methods based on their specific research context, balancing measurement accuracy against data acquisition costs, thereby enhancing cross-study comparability and facilitating knowledge accumulation in omni-channel marketing research. This research addresses methodological fragmentation in channel diversity literature and provides contextual guidance for method selection.

PurposeThis study aims to revisit the expropriation and bonding effects of specific asset investment (SAI) in B2B marketing channels by considering the dual pathways of channel role behaviors (suppliers' in-role contract enforcement and distributors' extra-role altruistic behavior) between SAI and cooperative performance and examines how suppliers' fairness perceptions (distributive and procedural fairness) moderate these relationships.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on agency theory and equity theory, this study develops a comprehensive model connecting SAI, channel role behaviors and fairness perceptions. The hypotheses were tested using survey data collected from 580 home appliance distributors in mainland China.FindingsThe results reveal that SAI positively influences both suppliers' in-role contract enforcement and distributors' extra-role altruistic behavior, with both channel role behaviors positively contributing to cooperative performance in B2B relationships. Fairness perceptions moderate these relationships differently: distributive fairness enhances the relationship between SAI and distributors' extra-role altruistic behavior, while procedural fairness strengthens the relationship between SAI and suppliers' in-role contract enforcement. Channel role behaviors partially mediate the relationship between SAI and cooperative performance.Originality/valueThis study contributes to B2B marketing channel literature by revisiting SAI from the perspective of channel role behaviors, providing a novel lens to understand the expropriation and bonding effects in industrial exchange relationships. By identifying how suppliers' SAI simultaneously influence different types of channel role behaviors, this study reveals important mechanisms through which these investments transmit to cooperative performance. This study also demonstrates how different dimensions of fairness shape these behavioral pathways in B2B contexts, offering new insights for channel relationship management beyond traditional perspectives.

Purpose Although it is widely acknowledged that multichannel retailing induces intra-channel conflict between manufacturers and retailers and cross-channel conflict among different retail channels, the effect of intra-channel conflict on cross-channel conflict and the factors influencing this relationship have received limited scholarly attention. Drawing on complex adaptive system theory and multichannel retailing literature, we investigate how intra-channel conflict affects cross-channel conflict and consider the influences of interfirm and institutional contingencies. Design/methodology/approach Using data from 401 manufacturers and regional statistics on the marketisation index in China, this study investigates the impact of intra-channel conflict on cross-channel conflict and the moderating roles of manufacturer–retailer collaboration, product marketisation and legal effectiveness. Findings The results show that intra-channel conflict aggravates cross-channel conflict, but collaboration between manufacturers and retailers could mitigate this effect. Moreover, institutional factors play contingent roles; specifically, firms operating in regions with higher product marketisation and less developed legal effectiveness experience greater induction of cross-channel conflict due to intra-channel conflict. Practical implications This study provides valuable insights for firms’ decision-making on conflict governance in the context of multichannel retailing. Originality/value Our findings reveal the spillover effect of intra-channel conflict on cross-channel conflict and elucidate how firms’ collaboration strategies and institutional factors modulate this effect. This research extends the application of complex adaptive system theory and contributes to the literature on multichannel retailing.

The importance of opportunism as a primary threat to marketing channel relationship has received substantial attention from literature. This study explores an important while under-researched impact of contract enforcement on opportunism in manufacturer-distributor relationship, with a functional approach to contract enforcement adopted. A framework integrating different levels of analysis is developed to comprehensively examine how the impacts posed by mechanisms, contractual control enforcement and contractual coordination enforcement, differ as the levels of institutional development and information technology (IT) capability vary. This study analyzes data from manufacturers and one secondary dataset, empirically confirming the direct and negative impacts of contractual control/coordination enforcement on opportunism. Furthermore, the institutional development reinforces the deterrent effect of contractual control enforcement on opportunism, while having no impact on the effect on the contractual coordination enforcement in suppressing opportunism. Besides, the efficacy of contractual coordination enforcement in constraining opportunism can be strengthened by IT capability, which, however, weakens the opportunism-curbing effect of contractual control enforcement. Overall, this study addresses the relationship between contractual governance and organizational and environmental contingencies, developing useful implications for interfirm relationship management.

PurposeThis research examines how information and communication technology (ICT)-enabled interactions influence conflict, joint action, and thus cooperative performance in supply chains.Design/methodology/approachWe adopt a mixed-methods approach that uses both qualitative and quantitative methods. We conduct a grounded theory study of 18 interviews to identify two predominant platforms for ICT-enabled interactions among contemporary firms: interorganizational information systems (IOSs) and public social media (PSM). We then develop a research model and test six hypotheses with field survey data from 520 manufacturing firms.FindingsICT-enabled interactions reduce conflict and promote joint action in supply chains. More importantly, whereas IOS-enabled interaction is more effective in promoting joint action, PSM-enabled interaction is more effective in mitigating conflict. In addition, conflict and joint action fully mediate the effect of IOS-enabled interaction on cooperative performance, but only partially mediate the impact of PSM-enabled interaction.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is an essential investigation of the impacts of the concurrent use of IOSs and PSM as interaction platforms, showing a new mechanism through which ICT-enabled interactions improve performance.Originality/valueThis research highlights the different effects of ICT-enabled interactions and provides practical insights for managers to deploy and leverage different ICT platforms in supply chains.

In the competitive landscape of cross-border online business-to-business (B2B) customer acquisition, suppliers are urgently seeking insights into leveraging communication content to differentiate themselves and attract customers' attention. However, the literature has not provided sufficient empirical evidence on this prevalent and important phenomenon. Addressing this gap, our study draws from B2B advertising creativity research and the B2B advertising effects model to examine the effects of communication relevance and communication novelty in cross-border online B2B customer acquisition. We utilized data from 195 business customers in the electronics manufacturing industry across 22 countries (regions) to examine our hypotheses. Our findings indicate that communication relevance enhances customer acquisition, whereas communication novelty does not. Additionally, we identified two organizational responses of business customers—customer verification and perceived risk—as mediating factors influencing customer acquisition. Finally, we explored how trade reference from the business network moderates these relationships in cross-border B2B transactions. This study sheds light on suppliers' effective communication content strategies in cross-border online B2B marketing communication content and offers practical implications for customer acquisition in the digital era.

PurposeThis study aims to introduce three cross-channel integration strategies - cross-channel consistency, sharing and collaboration - and examine whether and how they have different impacts on intra-channel manufacturer and distributor relationships and intra-channel cooperative performance.Design/methodology/approachThis study designed a questionnaire and collected data from 246 manufacturers. The structural equation modeling approach is used to test hypotheses.FindingsThe results suggest that, first, cross-channel consistency has a negative effect on intra-channel conflict though having a nonsignificant effect on intra-channel coordination. Second, cross-channel sharing has a positive effect on intra-channel coordination and a negative effect on intra-channel conflict, respectively, which in turn enhances intra-channel cooperative performance. Third, cross-channel collaboration has a positive effect on intra-channel coordination which improves intra-channel cooperative performance, while it also has a positive effect on intra-channel conflict which either reduces or has no effect on intra-channel cooperative performance.Practical implicationsThis study offers managers actionable insights by identifying different effects of the three cross-channel integration strategies on intra-channel manufacturer-distributor relationships and providing guidance for selecting appropriate strategies to enhance intra-channel cooperative performance.Originality/valueThis study separately examines the three cross-channel integration strategies and uncovers their different effects on intra-channel manufacturer and distributor relationships, a key consequence that has received limited attention in prior research.

PurposeUsing social media (SM) in the workplace is controversial. Managers are concerned about boundary spanners' heavy use of SM for unproductive activities, while boundary spanners need task-focused SM usage to enhance cooperative intention, share mutual knowledge, and build long-term relations. To clarify the effects of SM usage, the authors draw on task-technology fit (TTF) theory to examine how task-focused SM usage (TSM) and relationship-focused SM usage (RSM) influence the efficacy of interpersonal guanxi in China's emerging economy.Methodology/approachThe authors test the proposed theoretical model by collecting 550 valid questionnaires of survey data from manufacturers in China. Ordinary least squares regression is used to analyze the data and test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results of the statistical analysis show that interpersonal guanxi improves interfirm coordination and exchange performance. Furthermore, TSM usage strengthens the positive impact of interpersonal guanxi on interfirm coordination but weakens the positive effect of interpersonal guanxi on exchange performance, while RSM usage enhances its positive impact on exchange performance but weakens the positive effect of interpersonal guanxi on interfirm coordination.Research implicationsThis study contributes to the literature by developing and testing the TTF-based framework of interpersonal guanxi and SM usage. The finding enriches our knowledge on the roles of interpersonal guanxi in the business-to-business (B2B) context.Practical implicationsThis study offers the guidance for firms using SM in the B2B context. SM usage should be fited with firms' and boundary spanners' tasks, considering the complementary and supplementary nature of SM usage.Originality/value/contributionThis study tests the different roles of SM usage, i.e., TSM versus RSM, in fostering the efficacy of interpersonal guanxi, providing a meaningful perspective on firms' knowledge activities. Moreover, by proposing a TTF-based framework of interpersonal guanxi and SM usage, it explores the informational roles of boundary spanners' SM usage in promoting dyadic relationships.

PurposeMultichannel marketing has become the norm for distributing goods and services, and manufacturers and distributors operate in various channel organization forms. Drawing on transaction cost theory and governance value analysis, this study introduces channel organization forms as focal design elements of multichannel settings and aims to align governance mechanisms with these forms.Design/Methodology/ApproachSurvey data are gathered from four sub-samples of 295 Chinese manufacturers. Ordinary least squares regression analysis is used to test the hypotheses.FindingsDepending on the multichannel design of manufacturers, the performance effects of contractual, normative, and authoritative mechanisms vary in the four channel organization forms: corporate, franchised, managerial, and relational. Moreover, in each organization form, there is a specific governance mechanism that positively affects cooperation performance, indicating alignment.Research ImplicationsThis study advances governance literature by demonstrating the alignment between channel organization forms and governance mechanisms, while the channel organization form serves as a contextual factor that explains the inconsistency of performance effects of governance mechanisms. In addition, extending prior research comparing differences between multichannel and nonmultichannel settings, this study explores variation within a multichannel context from a channel-organization-form perspective.Practical ImplicationsIt is critically enlightening and instructive for manufacturers to choose governance mechanisms based on their channel organization forms and thus improve cooperation performance within multichannel settings.Originality/ValueThis study's findings address the gap in governance literature concerning whether the performance effects of governance mechanisms are contingent on different channel organization forms.

PurposeThis paper aims to evaluate the effect of commitment misperception on channel conflict. It highlights the importance of trust and transaction-specific investments for business marketing strategies.Design/methodology/approachThis paper develops a concept framework to understand how the direction (overestimated vs underestimated) and extent of commitment misperception influence channel conflict. The model is tested using dyadic data from 212 distributors and manufacturers across several industries in China.FindingsThe results show that the direction of commitment misperception affects trust, transaction-specific investments and channel conflict. Overestimated commitment induces positive illusion and enhances trust and transaction-specific investments and reduces channel conflict, whereas underestimated commitment induces negative illusion and reduces trust and transaction-specific investments and enhances channel conflict. Trust and transaction-specific investments mediate the impact of the direction of commitment misperception on channel conflict. The extent of commitment misperception plays the moderating influence on the direction of commitment misperception.Originality/valueThis study reveals the mechanisms and boundary conditions by exploring the mediating influence of trust and transaction-specific investments and the moderating effects of the extent of commitment misperception.

As information and communication technology (ICT) develops, firms increasingly rely on interorganizational information systems (IOSs) and social media to exchange knowledge and communicate with their partners. In this research, we investigate how ICT infrastructure capability and ICT use capability impact IOS- and social media-enabled knowledge exchange processes, respectively. Using a task-technology fit perspective, we also examine how the impact is influenced by the interorganizational governance (IOG) structure. We surveyed 550 industrial manufacturing firms to test the hypotheses. The results of our statistical analysis show the different impacts of ICT infrastructure capability and use capability on IOS- and social media-enabled knowledge exchange processes, which in turn promote interorganizational communication efficiency. This finding confirms the fit effects of ICT capabilities and IOG: contractual governance strengthens the positive impact of ICT infrastructure capability on the IOS-enabled knowledge exchange process, whereas relational governance strengthens the positive impact of ICT use capability on the social media-enabled knowledge exchange process. These findings raise our understanding of the relationships among ICT capabilities, ICT-enabled knowledge exchange processes, and communication efficiency as well as reconfirm the importance of IOG in interorganizational knowledge exchange. They also offer important theoretical and practical implications for marketing channel management.

Based on open systems theory, by analyzing the data of 212 respondents, this paper investigates the impact of channel multiplicity on cross-channel integration, cross-channel conflict, and the firm’s performance. The results show that channel multiplicity tends to increase primarily cross-channel integration and unambiguously promotes the firm’s performance, whereas channel multiplicity may foster cross-channel conflict and limit the firm’s performance. Moreover, the authors also find that cross-channel integration could mitigate cross-channel conflict. The paper finally discusses the theoretical and practical significance of the results and points out some limitations of this present study and directions for future studies.