An Empirical Study on E-commerce Channel Relationships: With the Help of Interdependence Theory

The purpose of this article is to explore the effect of the perceived goal interdependence between distributors with suppliers on e-commerce channel relationships. With the help of interdependence theory, the conceptual model of goal interdependence and distributor interests was developed. Cooperative goals, competitive goals and independent goals were used to explain the outcome variable, economic satisfaction and occupational well-being. The moderating effects of three variables were considered: commitment, trust and specific investments. The hypotheses were tested through a sample survey among more than 1,000 computer distributors in Chengdu, China. Results indicate that distributor cooperative goals positively influence distributor commitment, trust and specific investments, sequentially increases distributor economic satisfaction and occupational well-being. Results are interpreted that distributor cooperative goals is an important contributors for developing successful e-commerce channel relationships.