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The impact of B2B seller’s value appropriation upon customer relationship performance: Empirical evidence from China

Jing Zhang (Management School, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China)
Mingfei Du (Management School, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China)

Chinese Management Studies

ISSN: 1750-614X

Article publication date: 3 April 2018

Issue publication date: 24 July 2018

567

Abstract

Purpose

Value appropriation and value creation are two sides of the same coin. How B2B seller’s value appropriation impacts customer relationship performance still remains an under-researched topic. This paper aims to probe into this question in the context of Chinese B2B markets.

Design/methodology/approach

This study identifies two kinds of value appropriation, namely, competitive and non-competitive and then examines their impacts upon customer relationship performance, as well as the moderating roles of distributive fairness and procedural fairness, based on questionnaire survey among 273 Chinese B2B firms.

Findings

The authors find that seller’s competitive value appropriation has negative impact upon customer relationship performance, and this link is positively moderated by customer-perceived distributive fairness. Besides, non-competitive value appropriation by the seller has significant and positive impact upon customer relationship performance, and this link is positively moderated by customer-perceived procedural fairness.

Originality/value

The paper contributes greatly to literature of value management and industrial buyer–seller relationship. Managerial implications are provided for B2B companies operating in Chinese market to tackle with the tradeoff between appropriating sufficient value and retaining harmonious relationship with customers.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This research is sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant 71672068 and 71272125.

Citation

Zhang, J. and Du, M. (2018), "The impact of B2B seller’s value appropriation upon customer relationship performance: Empirical evidence from China", Chinese Management Studies, Vol. 12 No. 3, pp. 524-546. https://doi.org/10.1108/CMS-09-2017-0253

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

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