Connecting power with locus of control in marketing channel relationships: a response surface approach

Power and control are core issues in marketing channel management, yet the effect of power on locus of control remains an enigma. The study reported here identifies theoretical and methodological hurdles for explicating that link and develops a set of hypotheses about the asymmetric effect of power on locus of control with new theoretical perspectives. The authors introduce an analytical tool to capture both linear and nonlinear effects of power on locus of control on a response surface and test the hypotheses with data collected through a national survey of industrial distributors. The analysis results support the prediction that a distributor's own power and supplier power as is perceived by the distributor have asymmetric effects on locus of control and provide more fine-grained accounts on the relationships among distributor power, supplier power, and locus of control in an interfirm dyad.