The Commitment-Trust Theory of Relationship Marketing

Abstract

Relationship marketing—establishing, developing, and maintaining successful relational exchanges—constitutes a major shift in marketing theory and practice. After conceptualizing relationship marketing and discussing its ten forms, the authors (1) theorize that successful relationship marketing requires relationship commitment and trust, (2) model relationship commitment and trust as key mediating variables, (3) test this key mediating variable model using data from automobile tire retailers, and (4) compare their model with a rival that does not allow relationship commitment and trust to function as mediating variables. Given the favorable test results for the key mediating variable model, suggestions for further explicating and testing it are offered.

The long good-bye: The dissolution of customer-service provider relationships

“…Indeed such changes often mean that certain barriers that once constrained or dictated an individual's relationships have changed (Levinger, 1994). Research has also demonstrated that switching costs preempt consumers and businesses from changing their providers and suppliers (Bendapudi & Berry, 1997;Dwyer et al, 1987;Heide & John, 1988;Morgan & Hunt, 1994). Further changes in life roles and life status can also have an impact on personal choices and behaviors (Andreasen, 1984;Cantor & Kihlstrom, 1987).…”

Measuring goodwill trust between groups of people: three years of an oil industry alliance

“….'. Morgan and Hunt (1994) quote Sherman (1992), 'The biggest stumbling block to the success of alliances is the lack of trust', Schurr and Ozanne (1985), 'Trust is central to the process of achieving co-operative problem solving and constructive dialogue ' and Spekman (1988), 'Trust is the cornerstone of the strategic partnership'. Green and Keogh (2000), in a review of 63 papers from commercial conferences on oil industry partnering and alliancing, found that the link between success and high levels of trust was made in 23 of the papers.…”

“…Morgan and Hunt (1994) in a discussion of relationship marketing (an analogue of alliances) suggest that commitment and trust are key mediating factors in the success of a marketing relationship.…”

The influence of organizational market orientation on individual-level market-oriented cognitions

“…The strength of this approach relates to the reduction of variation often present when observations are made of many industries in the same study. Examples of single-industry studies include the competitiveness studies conducted at MIT in the late 1980s (Dertouzous, Lester, & Solow, 1989), the Industry Study Program sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the Morgan and Hunt (1994) study of channels of distribution in the tire industry. Because the focus of the research is information flow within organizations, questionnaires were sent to multiple members within each organization rather than to a single informant, in order that information flow could be assessed.…”