Relationship value and relationship quality: Broadening the nomological network of business‐to‐business relationships

Established models of buyer-seller relationships do not reflect managerial emphasis on supplier performance evaluation when modeling business relationships. This paper proposes that relationship value should be included as a key constituent in such models. This paper aims to explore the construct's links with key constituents of relationship quality, i.e. commitment, satisfaction, and trust. A two-stage research design was used. First, depth-interviews were conducted with ten senior-level purchasing managers in US manufacturing companies. Second, data were gathered in a nation-wide mail survey among 400 purchasing professionals. The findings suggest that relationship value is an antecedent to relationship quality and behavioral outcomes in the nomological network of relationship marketing. Value displays a stronger impact on satisfaction than on commitment and trust. Contrary to previous research, trust does not appear in this study as an antecedent of behavioral outcomes, but as a mediator of the satisfaction-commitment link.