Brand value and relationship performance in business markets: A cross cultural glance of business services

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the casual relationship and structural equation modeling between the supplier competence with purchasing value, buyer satisfaction, switching cost, brand trust, brand loyalty, relationship quality, relationship commitment and transaction performance in the buyers of Arge Talaei International Company's Product (Seed Production). The statistical sample of this study consists of buyer company's staff of Arge Talaei brand from 7 countries (Asia and Europe), Greece, Turkey, Kazakh, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Iraq, Emirates; from whom 247 samples were randomly selected. In order to collect the data, nine types of questionnaires at the form of 55 items were employed: 1- supplier competence, 2- purchasing value, 3-buyer satisfaction, 4- switching cost, 5- brand trust, 6- brand loyalty, 7- relationship quality, 8- relationship commitment, 9- transaction performance. The analysis found that supplier competence directly affects purchasing value and customer satisfaction, and via purchasing value and customer satisfaction, it indirectly affects relationship commitment, brand trust and loyalty. The general model is applied to organizational buyer groups of a comprehensive business market, in terms of helping the companies, organization and future brand managers. Overall, this paper demonstrates that brand value is strategically meaningful even in the relationship-based business markets. Key words: Relationship performance, brand value, brand trust, brand loyalty, supplier competence.