Modelling value co-creation in triadic B2B industrial relationships

Abstract

PurposeThis study examines the triadic approach of value co-creation (VcC) in B2B relationships between the industrial manufacturer, its main supplier and its main client, by validating VcC as antecedent of Trust and Commitment, which, in turn, affect Satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachA model studies the association of VcC to Trust, Commitment and Satisfaction, the latter in its economic and social dimensions. The relationships in the model are empirically contrasted twice (with suppliers and clients) for a sample of 77 firms participating in an industrial panel, the Spanish Furniture Market Observatory.FindingsUsing PLS-SEM, results suggest that, in industrial B2B relationships, VcC acts as antecedent of Trust and, to a minor extent, of Commitment. It also has a positive effect on Social Satisfaction, the latter having a positive effect in turn on Economic Satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsResults are limited to the Spanish furniture industry with a cross-sectional approach. The linkages between VcC and Commitment, as well as the differences found between Social Satisfaction and Economic Satisfaction, need replications.Practical implicationsThe study suggests that VcC is the core of B2B industrial relationships. VcC may also boost Economic Satisfaction.Originality/valueLiterature on VcC has been extensive in B2C and B2B mostly for service contexts; this paper contributes by bringing evidence from a B2B manufacturing context. At the same time, it depicts a triadic approach of VcC in B2B, by measuring the relationships with both the manufacturer's main supplier and main client. The study also contributes with evidence to the role played by Trust and Commitment in the relationship between VcC and two Satisfactions.