An examination of the main factors affecting trust/commitment in supplier‐dealer relationships: an empirical study of the Swedish wood industry

Abstract

This research examines the importance of a set of underlying variables, such as willingness of the supplier to adapt to the dealer, built‐up relationship bonds, costs of terminating the relationship, level of shared values, formal and informal communication between the participating parties, opportunistic behavior by the supplier and perceived level of satisfaction in the relation‐ship, for achieving high trust and commitment within a supplier‐dealer relationship. Data for the analysis are generated from 114 purchasing managers at Swedish lumber dealers, an industry where collaborative relation‐ships are not very developed, but considered necessary for future success. Methodology is described and results are discussed. Concludes that companies trying to achieve high trust and commitment relationships, should create high satisfaction relationships, by decreasing their opportunistic behavior, adjusting to the needs of the other part, and developing shared values.