Opportunism in buyer–seller relationships: Some unexplored antecedents

• Opportunism is recognized as a key factor for the quality of relationships.
• But there is a relative lack of research in the antecedents of opportunism.
• Study shows that conflict in a relationship significantly increases opportunism.
• It mediates roles of goal incongruity, unfairness, and alternative attractiveness.
• Transactional investments and termination costs reduce alternative attractiveness.

Opportunism is recognized as a key factor that can affect the quality of relationship between buyers and sellers. However, there is a relative lack of research in the antecedents of opportunism. This paper draws upon transaction cost economics and relationship marketing paradigms to propose a conceptual framework involving six potential antecedents. Data from 270 franchisees in a Korea based franchise system is used to test the hypotheses. Results from a structural equation model show that the conflict in a relationship significantly increases franchisee opportunism. Furthermore, conflict mediates the effects of other antecedents in the framework which include alternative attractiveness, goal incongruity, unfairness, transaction-specific investments, and termination cost. The study provides theoretical and managerial insights into understanding and controlling opportunism.

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