What's in a Handshake?

: exploring business-to-business relational exchange

Abstract

Despite its importance in the development of competitive advantage, attempts to unify classifications of business-to-business relational exchange have been nebulous. This weakness provides an important area for further exploration presented here in this research study. 18 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with managers from a wide range of industries were undertaken to delineate the business-to-business relational exchange construct.

Analysis of the data revealed that business-to-business relational exchange comprises five key dimensions. These are communication, compatibility, commitment, trust and power symmetry. In addition, the research highlights the importance of personal interaction in business relationships and identifies a new construct, professional distance. Several propositions are made regarding the relationships between these dimensions. Finally, a new conceptual model of business-to-business relational exchange is presented, which synthesises these findings and directs future research.

Date of Award	2003
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Aston University