渠道关系中的感知不公平研究——基于心理契约及不公平容忍区域的视角

营销渠道中的不公平对渠道关系极具破坏性。长期以来,文献多限于间接分析公平对渠道关系的影响,缺乏直接从不公平角度展开研究。对此,本文重点探讨渠道关系中的感知不公平。本文在显性契约、关系契约的基础上,引入了心理契约维度,重构了渠道关系及分析框架;指明心理契约与感知不公平存在相关性,前者可对后者进行衡量;界定并刻画了不公平容忍区域,讨论了不公平类型、角色定位对不公平容忍区域范围的影响。本文构建的分析框架提出了一个新视角,有助于打开"渠道成员行为发生"的"黑箱",对营销渠道不公平的深入研究大有裨益。

Perceived Unfairness within Marketing Channel Relationships: Psychological Contracts and Zone-of-unfair-ness-tolerance

Unfairness within marketing channels causes great harm to channel relationships.Distribution channels in the Chinese market in particular abound with suppliers' complaints about being unfairly treated by certain giant retailers(for example over the charging of entry and promotion fees,extending payment periods etc.),which result in severe conflicts and even the dissolution of some relation-ships.However,most of the literature in recent decades has been confined to investigating the effect of fairness on relationships,while little research observes the relationship through the lens of unfair-ness.To a great extent,this accounts for the lack of suggestions on how to monitor relationships and maintain good relationships.This paper explores perceived unfairness by vulnerable parties.First of all,a psychological contract is introduced to marketing channel relation-ships.It is proposed that an explicit contract assures an exchange will happen.A relational contract emerging from mutual interaction fos-ters shared values between channel members,while a psychological contract refers to the obligation of the other" in the eye of the one it-self",which reveals how the focal party makes decisions.Next,three key characteristics of a psychological contract are identified:it is informal,subjective,and originates in reciprocal promissory obliga-tions.The correlation between psychological contracts and perceived unfairness is verified.In addition,the zone-of-unfairness-tolerance is defined as the span within which the focal party may be indifferent to some unfair treatment and their behavior or behavioral intention does not change.The zone is then characterized by economic value and relational value.The shift of its boundaries is discussed depending on the focal party's different unfairness perception and its role orienta-tion.The new framework will help discover why a channel member decides to take actions such as cooperating,complaining,committing acts which result in conflict,or even terminating the relationship.This study not only advances our understanding about unfairness by inves-tigating its effect based on the zone-of-tolerance,but also broadens our view of relationships and thus helps maintain a healthy marketing channel relationship.