Previous conceptualizations of attitudinal commitment are extended by considering two very different components of a manufacturer’s attachment to an independent channel intermediary. Relying on commitment theory, a model is developed that describes how attitudinal commitment may reside in either the instrumental or the social strain of a manufacturer’s relationship with its distributor. For each strain, the developmental role played by key facets of the channel setting—relative dependence, pledges, and trust—are shown. Furthermore, the nature of the attachment bond is posited to motivate very different governance mechanisms as the distribution agreement is enforced by either social or contractual means. Empirical support for the model demonstrates that an expanded view of attitudinal commitment is important in understanding the complex nature of attachment in channel relationships.

The authors examine international distribution channels in terms of the coordination processes that govern the relationship between export manufacturers and their foreign-based distributors. Although this relationship is mediated by market prices, manufacturers can enhance performance by relying on certain nonmarket forms of governance—control and flexibility—to manage their overseas channel better. The authors develop a model that examines both the contextual antecedents and the performance consequences of these nonmarket governance forms. One form of controls—output control—along with flexibility, is shown to enhance export channel performance, but another control form—process control—has no performance effect.

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Modern procurement is being shifted from paper-based, people-intensive buying systems toward electronic-based purchase procedures that rely on Internet communications and Web-enhanced buying tools. Develops a typology of e-commerce tools that have come to characterize cutting-edge industrial procurement. E-commerce aspects of purchasing are organized into communication and transaction tools that encompass both internal and external buying activities. Further, a model of the impact of e-commerce on the structure and processes of an organization's buying center is developed. The impact of the changing buying center on procurement outcomes in terms of efficiency and effectiveness is also analyzed. Finally, implications for business-tobusiness marketers and researchers are discussed.