An empirical analysis of the influence of cross‐relational impacts of strategy analysis on relationship performance in a business network context

Abstract

A review of the literature highlights that strategy analysis of business relationships based on the industrial organization perspective does not fully account for network characteristics. The present study proposes a model to integrate the industrial organization perspective with the resource‐based view, and to account for cross‐relational impacts of strategy analysis on relationship performance in a business network context. A total of 358 business relationships from UK‐based food service sector companies were examined on four levels of relationship: focal, portfolio, industry and network relationships. The results indicate the presence of cross‐relational impacts of industry and network relationship effects on focal relationship performance. Whilst the results show the industrial organization perspective accounts for relationship performance mostly at the focal and portfolio level relationships, the resource‐based view shows a strong positive relationship of industry and network based resources with relationship performance. The results suggest that strategic action occurring between a dyadic or focal relationship and in networks of relationships have wider implications for relationship performance.