渠道依赖、权力结构与策略：社会网络视角的研究

【作者】 张闯；

【导师】 夏春玉；

【作者基本信息】 东北财经大学 ， 企业管理， 2007， 博士

【摘要】 渠道权力是渠道行为理论研究的中心议题，虽然渠道权力结构被认为是影响渠道成员行为以及渠道关系绩效的基础变量，但对该变量本身的研究却并不多。本文将社会交换理论和资源依赖理论与社会网络理论相结合，从网络的视角来研究渠道关系网络中渠道权力结构的确定及其影响因素。一方面尝试性地将渠道权力理论中的二元分析(dyadic analysis)向包含更多渠道主体的网络方向拓展；另一方面则将一直没有得到足够关注的消费者纳入渠道权力理论的分析框架，考察消费者在渠道网络中的角色与地位，及其行为对渠道权力结构的影响。本文发现网络视角可以更加充分地解释渠道权力结构的成因。在由多个渠道关系相互联结所构成的网络中，渠道成员所参与的多个交换关系在限制了该渠道成员的行为能力的同时，也为其从网络中获得更多的资源(用以增强其权力基础)提供了新的途径。并且这些关系之间是相互影响的，渠道成员在一个关系中的权力地位对其在其他关系中的权力地位有直接或间接的影响。另外，由于渠道成员赖以产生权力的资源是多元化的，因而与其建立交换关系的主体角色与地位也会对其权力地位造成影响。消费者在渠道系统中的拥有渠道成员和商业渠道系统的环境要素这双重角色。作为渠道成员的消费者与其他渠道成员的本质差别在于消费者也是理性的行为者，其是否承担或承担多少渠道功能完全取决于其对承担这些功能所付出的成本与收益之间的衡量。由于消费者独特的社会属性和行为特征，作为渠道成员的消费者是很难提升其在渠道中的影响力的。另一方面，作为商业渠道子系统环境要素的消费者行为却会对前者网络中的权力结构产生重要影响。作为渠道系统最终所服务的对象，制造商和零售商都会为了获取权力优势地位而对消费者施加影响，其结果是使消费者在购买决策过程中形成了对待制造商品牌与零售商店铺(品牌)的不同态度(即品牌忠诚与店铺忠诚)，从而对其上游的商业渠道网络中的权力结构产生影响。在范围更大的整体网络中，网络的结构属性，如网络密度、成员的中心性、网络子群的结构属性等都会对网络中的权力结构产生影响。本文所提出的渠道权力网络结构模型对上述影响进行了初步的探讨。从网络的视角来看，渠道成员的权力策略空间也得到了拓展。无论是改善二元关系中的交换结构、与新的渠道主体建立交换关系，还是改变其所在网络的整体属性，渠道成员在改变自身权力地位的同时也会带来渠道关系网络结构的变化。渠道成员的权力策略构成了渠道关系网络运动演化的重要动力机制。更多还原

【Abstract】 Channel power as a central construct in channel relationship has attracted many scholars’ interest and attention in the past three decades. However, the study on this construction is not adequate, even if the channel power structure is a fundamental construct which imposes influence on channel members’ behavior and channel relationship performance. Based on the social exchange theory, resource dependence theory and social network theory, this dissertation studies the determinants and influence factors of channel power structure in channel network from a network perspective. On one hand, the paper tries to push the dyadic analysis of channel power to a network direction; on the other hand, it tries to involve consumers, who are often ignored, in the analysis framework of channel power. Meanwhile, it makes clear what the consumer’s role and position in the channel network and the influences imposed on the power structure by consumer’s behavior are.The paper finds that network perspective can explain the determinants of channel power structure better. In a network which is composed of many interconnected channel relationships, the exchange relationships in which the channel member participates constrain the member’s behavior on one hand, and on the other hand they provide a new channel from which the channel member can acquire resources(which can be used to improve its power bases). Yet these interconnected relationships interact., and the power position of the channel member in one relationship directly or indirectly influences its power position in another relationship. Since the channel member requires different resources to build its power bases, the role and position of the actor who the channel member builds exchange relationship with can also influence its power position in the network.A consumer plays dual roles in the channel network as a channel member and an environmental factor of commercial channel subsystem. Being a channel member, a consumer is different from other channel members in nature. Since consumer is a rational actor, whether he or she undertakes or how many channel functions to undertake lies in the balance of the costs and the benefits in his/her implementing the functions. Because of their special social attributes and behavioral nature, it is very difficult for consumers to improve their power position in the channel network. On the other side, being an environmental factor, the consumer’s behavior can have great influence on the power structure in the commercial channel system. In order to acquire predominant power position, manufactures and retailers will impose influence on consumers’ behavior, and the corresponding outcome is that consumers will form different attitudes toward manufactures’ brands and retailers’ stores (that is brand loyalty vs. store loyalty) which instead will influence the power structure of the manufacturer-retailer relationship.In a relative whole channel network which includes more channel members and other actors, the structure attributes of the network, such as the network density, centrality of channel members, structure nature of cliques, will have an effect on the power structure in the network. And the model of the channel power network structure proposed by this paper makes a preliminary research on these influences.A channel member has more choices in its power strategy from a network perspective. Regardless of changing the exchange structure in a dyadic relationship, or building a new relationship with other channel actors, or changing the whole network nature, a channel member will push the network structure into changing while changing its power position in the network. The power strategy of the channel members is an important dynamic mechanism of channel relationship network evolution.更多还原