Power and influence in the buying centre

Abstract

Builds on work in organisational buying. Examines the relationship between power bases and influence strategies in an organisational buying situation, specifically, the decision to purchase the services of an advertising agency. Hypothesises the influence strategies of consultation, coalition, legitimating pressure, exchange, rational persuasion, inspirational appeals and personal appeals, related to source characteristics (power bases). Findings from 150 organisational buying decisions support findings from a recent study in the USA. Suggests that the use of an influence strategy is positively related to the corresponding type of power.

Power to all our friends? Living with imbalance in supplier–retailer relationships

“…There are authors, for example, Cox, Lonsdale, and Watson (2003) who consider that power should be at the centre of any study of buyer -seller relationships; and recent texts have revisited seminal works in the study of power and Transaction Cost Economics (TCE), reappraising them for a post-relationship marketing context. The work of French and Raven (1959), for example, where power and influence is explored in organizational buying situations, is cited in Berthon, Pitt, Ewing, and Bakkeland (2003), Farrell and Schroder (1999), Collins and Burt (2003) and Dapiran and Hogarth-Scott (2003). The work of Emerson (1962), who defines power as the ability of an actor to influence another to act in the manner that they would not have otherwise, is similarly cited in Cox et al (2003), Rokkan and Haugland (2002) and Dapiran and Hogarth-Scott (2003).…”

Power perceptions and modes of complaining in higher education

“…The power of any given member in a service transaction is a function of the sources or bases of power available to him/her at any given time. Power bases are concerned with an individual's characteristics that afford him/her with the ability to influence others (Farrell & Schroder, 1999). French and Raven (1959) originally identified five sources or bases of power: reward, coercive, expert, referent, and legitimate.…”

Purchase decision-making within professional consumer services

“…Despite professional service providers' influence on the purchase decisions for many products and services, this aspect of their work has been given very little consideration in literature. Research on buying behaviour in the context of services has mainly focused on the use or selection of service providers (Ettenson and Turner, 1997;Farrell and Schroder, 1999;Gallouj, 1996;Hill and Neeley, 1988). An exception is made by authors who have contributed to the 'surrogacy' literature (e.g.…”