The influence of purchase situation on buying center structure and involvement: a select meta-analysis of organizational buying behavior research

Researchers investigating various aspects of organizational buying behavior often have reported mixed, sometimes contradictory results. Recently, there have been attempts to consolidate work in this area [cf. Bunn, M.D. 1993. Taxonomy of buying decision approaches. Journal of Marketing; 57:38-56 (January); Johnston, W.J., Lewin, J.E. Organizational buying behavior: toward an integrative framework. Journal of Business Research 1996; 35 (January): 1-15]. However, to date no one has attempted a meta-analytical integration of this research stream. To fill this gap, the authors conduct a meta-analysis of the relationships between the nature of the purchase situation and buying center structure and buying center involvement. While results indicate that cumulative findings in some cases are robust, in other cases they are not. Subsequent moderator analysis indicates that study design characteristics account for significant variation in findings across studies.