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Chinese Journal of Management Science ›› 2018, Vol. 26 ›› Issue (6): 188-196.doi: 10.16381/j.cnki.issn1003-207x.2018.06.019

• Articles • Previous Articles    

Contractual Governance, Justice and Extra-role Altruistic Behaviors in Marketing Channels

WANG Yong1,2, ZHUANG Gui-jun3, ZHANG Chuang4, LIU Zhou-ping3   

  1. 1. School of Management, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China;
    2. School of Business, Xi'an University of Finance & Economics, Xi'an 710100, China;
    3. School of Management, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China;
    4. School of Business Administration, DongBei University of Finance & Economics, Dalian 116025, China
  • Received:2015-07-07 Revised:2017-11-26 Online:2018-06-20 Published:2018-08-22

Abstract: Extra-role altruistic behaviors play important roles in developing and maintaining the long-term economic cooperation and exchange relationship in marketing channels. Previous studies have examined the impact of contractual governance on extra-role altruistic behaviors. However, the influence mechanism has not been explored. Moreover, the effects of different dimensions of contractual governance also need more investigation.
Based on transaction cost theory, equity theory and resource-based view, a conceptual model is developed to describe the relationships among contractual governance (operationalized as contract complexity and contract monitoring), justice (including distributive justice and procedural justice), dependence and extra-role altruistic behavior from the perspective of distributors in marketing channels. To examine the proposed conceptual model, the survey data of 660 distributors is collected from household appliances industry of China. Analyzing the data by using structural equation modeling AMOS24.0, the impact of contract complexity and contract monitoring on distributive justice and procedural justice and the mediating roles of distributive justice and procedural justice on relationship between contractual governance and extra-role altruistic behavior is tested. The moderating role of distributor's dependence on the supplier is also examined.
The results show that, first, both contract complexity and contract monitoring positively affect distributor's distributive justice and procedural justice. Second, two types of justice independently affects distributor's extra-role altruistic behaviors. Third, distributor's dependence moderates effects of distributive justice and procedural justice on extra-role altruistic behaviors in different ways such that, as distributor's dependence increases, the positive impact of distributive justice on distributor's extra-role altruistic behaviors would be stronger but the positive impact of procedural justice on distributor's extra-role altruistic behaviors would be weaker. Finally, distributive justice and procedural justice mediate the effect of contractual governance (contract complexity and contract monitoring) on extra-role altruistic behaviors.
The results not only fill the gaps in the literature of extra-role altruistic behaviors in marketing channels, but also suggest some managerial implications. It suggests suppliers to adopt proper contractual governance components in order to increase distributor's perception of justice and hereafter induce distributor's extra-role altruistic behaviors.

Key words: contract complexity, contract monitoring, distributive justice, procedural justice, extra-role altruistic behavior

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