The Marketing Book 5th Edition

Resource Dependence Theory

Buyer–Seller (US Approach)

Social Exchange Theory

Buyer–Seller (US Approach)

Channel Theory

IMP

Services Marketing

Microeconomic Theory

Buyer–Seller (US Approach)

Contractual Relations

Buyer–Seller (US Approach)

Institutional Economics / TCA

IMP

Channel Theory

Political Economy Paradigm

Channel Theory

Relational

Paradigm

Relationship marketing 39

However, this diversity inhibits any possibility
of creating a commonly understood definition
of relationship marketing and, more impor-
tantly for practitioners, any commonly agreed
approach to implementation.
Having accepted that relationship market-
ing is not a single, internally consistent school
of thought – but rather a loose collection of
shared research themes – we need to consider
(a) in which contexts relationship marketing is
appropriate and (b) what are the most useful
concepts to explore. Here again, we have little
agreement, with some considering that rela-
tionship marketing spans every conceivable
business relationship (see, for example, Gum-
messon, 1999) and others considering a more
limited range of relationship categories (Mor-
gan and Hunt, 1994). These issues are con-
sidered in the next section.

Focal relationships

The relational paradigm drives an organization
to focus on relationships (Gummesson, 1987;
Håkansson, 1982; Czepiel, 1990). Strategically,

this involves identifying which relationships

are to be pursued and how they are to be

managed (Morgan and Hunt, 1994; Gummes-

son, 1994). In terms of the first issue, identifying

marketing relationships, there are a number of

competing views. One essentially suggests that

relationships are not chosen, rather relation-

ships exist and the choice is whether to manage

them explicitly or not. Within this perspective,

Gummesson’s 30R approach considers thirty

important relationships and identifies a broad

organizational remit for the firm which gives

customer relationships and environmental rela-

tionships (by definition) equal importance

(Gummesson, 1999). Morgan and Hunt (1994)

limit their definition of relationships more

precisely within the conventional business

domain. Of particular importance here is to

recognize that a firm is constrained by its

environment and cannot be involved in every

possible relationship. Equally, it is important to

consider how each relationship should be

managed, i.e. should all customers be treated

equally, what resources should be invested in

each relationship, how should the portfolio of

relationships be managed? These issues are

encapsulated into what Håkansson (1982)

Figure 3.1 Disciplinary roots of relationship marketing