Relational governance in B2B electronic marketplaces: an updated typology
Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing
ISSN: 0885-8624
Article publication date: 30 January 2009
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to apply the relational exchange framework, updated by insights on interimistic relationships, to analyze governance implications for the three types of e‐marketplaces currently in operation: independent exchanges, consortia, and private exchanges. These three archetypes are analyzed from a functional perspective and, more importantly, from a relationship governance perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is conceptual in approach.
Findings
The three e‐marketplace archetypes currently in existence correspond to different levels of operational integration and, in turn, to three different types of inter‐firm relationships. Moreover, the three types of relational structures proposed offer different solutions for governance processes such as partner qualification, monitoring, and enforcement.
Research limitations/implications
The network of relationships between firms is changing all the time as a result of dynamic industry conditions. The relational continuum proposed can explain the focal firm's shifting reliance on one or another of the e‐marketplace types as a result of industry volatility.
Practical implications
The analysis advocates a portfolio approach to e‐marketplace adoption, based on the varying strengths of their connections with different industry partners. This approach also implies a new type of segmentation, based on the place that the trading partner occupies on the relational continuum.
Originality/value
When analyzing e‐marketplaces, a focus on technology and functional parameters alone misses an essential aspect: when choosing among various e‐marketplace formats currently in operation, firms cannot overlook the inter‐firm relationships that characterize these marketplaces and give them their identity.
Keywords
Citation
Chelariu, C. and Sangtani, V. (2009), "Relational governance in B2B electronic marketplaces: an updated typology", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 24 No. 2, pp. 108-118. https://doi.org/10.1108/08858620910931721
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited