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A meta-analytic review of opportunism in exchange relationships

  • Original Empirical Research
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Abstract

The potential to engage in opportunism is a central theme in institutional economics, yet prior research has not quantitatively reviewed the role of opportunism in marketing research. This study uses meta-analytic techniques to synthesize research on opportunism conducted over the last quarter century. The analysis of 183 effect sizes extracted from 54 publications from the period 1982 to 2005 offers some support to extant channel theory. The research also indicates that the informant’s frame of reference and the research design significantly influence the observed effects. Implications of the findings and future research directions are discussed.

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Notes

  1. We thank a reviewer for this suggestion.

  2. The technical appendices and a bibliography of studies included in the analysis are available from the first author.

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Acknowledgement

The authors thank the editor, David W. Stewart, and the three anonymous JAMS reviewers for their insightful critiques of this manuscript. In addition, the authors thank Leslie Vincent for her valuable comments on an earlier version of this manuscript. Both authors contributed equally to this study. The Von Allmen Center for Electronic Commerce at the University of Kentucky provided partial funding for this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Business and Economics, West Virginia University, P.O. 6025, Morgantown, WV, 26506-6025, USA

    Jody L. Crosno

  2. Carol Martin Gatton College of Business and Economics, University of Kentucky, 425-L B & E Building, Lexington, KY, 40506-0034, USA

    Robert Dahlstrom

  3. Norwegian School of Management, Centre for Advanced Research in Retailing, 0442 Oslo, Norway

    Robert Dahlstrom

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  1. Jody L. Crosno
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Correspondence to Jody L. Crosno.

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Crosno, J.L., Dahlstrom, R. A meta-analytic review of opportunism in exchange relationships. J. of the Acad. Mark. Sci. 36, 191–201 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-007-0081-x

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