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This article presents an interesting cross-cultural comparison using a collection of variables that reveal the extent of relationship-based propensity among UK and French medical firms. It reveals the complexity of relationships at various levels and with various constituencies but ultimately demonstrates that it is possible methodologically to analyse relationships and make choices about how a company can operate in order to achieve a higher strategic purpose through network connections:

Barnes, B. R., & Carroll, A. (2000). A relationship marketing pilot study of British and French medium-sized medical firms. Journal of Medical Marketing: Device, Diagnostic and Pharmaceutical Marketing, 1(2), 161–175.

An article that takes an in-depth look at a single B2B buyer–seller relationship, illuminating many of the concepts that we discuss in Chapter 3 (and expanding on references to M&S within the chapter:

Blois, K. (2003). B2B ‘relationships’ – A social construction of reality? A study of Marks and Spencer and one of its major suppliers. Marketing Theory, 3(1), 79–95.

This article shows empirically how two of the primary areas of interaction (in the IMP Interaction model) between a marketing company and its customers combine to create stronger bonds between them. The article focuses on trying to get the right balance to perpetuate the relationship. However, it perhaps limits its focus a little; the environmental context and the power dependencies in the relationships will inevitably set the scene within which social and operations-based interactions take place. This article is also relevant to Chapters 8 and 10:

Bolton, R. N., Smith, A. K., & Wagner, J. (2003). Striking the right balance: Designing service to enhance business-to-business relationships. Journal of Service Research, 5(4), 271–291.

Though not focusing on dimensions of relationships per se, the findings of this study are interesting in a relationship marketing context. It shows ultimately that relationship effects have an impact upon the propensity for satisfaction evaluations to carry over; favourable evaluations tend to linger while less favourable do not, indicating a greater degree of tolerance towards a service providing company by its customers:

van Doorn, J. (2008). Is there a halo effect in satisfaction formation in business-to-business services? Journal of Service Research, 11(2), 124–141.

This article demonstrates very strongly, even in a recessionary climate where financial aspects are inevitably prioritized in strategic decisions making, that companies are often driven by considerations that are less financially driven (at least in the short term). It also demonstrates very clearly a core tenet of outside text book that business-to-business marketing is all about value creation through resource dependence: companies accessing resources that they typically do not own but the sharing of which generates value to both parties (or multiple parties in a network context).This article could be equally relevant in Chapter 1:

Wittkowski, K., Moeller, S., & Wirtz, J. (2013). Firms’ intentions to use nonownership services. Journal of Service Research, 16(2), 171–185.