Antecedents, Outcomes, and Moderating Influences on Industrial Distributors’ Satisfaction with Supplier Relationships

A nationwide survey of U.S. industrial distributors showed that expectations of benefits from a relationship with a core supplier and the outcomes of that relationship are important antecedents of distributor satisfaction with a relationship. The underlying outcome dimensions -- tangible and intangible benefits -- affect satisfaction levels. However, among the expectation dimensions, only price benefits influence satisfaction. The impact of expectations and outcomes on relationship satisfaction are moderated by relationship style and distributor size.