The Study On The Impact Of Perceived Fairness On Channel Members' Opportunistic Behavior

Fairness has been paid much attention, but it was introduced into marketing channel field until the 1980s and 1990s by western scholars, they believe that businesses, like individuals in a business relationship (including channel relations) is also concerned about the fair, with fair motives. In the past 20 years, western scholars has made some achievements about the researches of fairness in marketing channel, but there are also limitations of the study area. Although marketing scholars have agreed that the fair can inhibit channel conflict, enhance channel relationships and quality, but for the culprit-opportunism, causing a serious impaction on channel conflict and channel stable relationship, whether fairness can produce the same on it? There is no scholar giving a clear answer. And whether equity theory that are from western has the same applicability in the context of China's transition economy? It is also subject to further discussion.Given the above theoretical results of blank and the purpose of test the applicability of Western theories in the context of Chinese culture, This study Combs relevant literature, and connects fairness and opportunism behavior in marketing channel in the background of the equity theory, transaction cost theory and social exchange theory, also added long-term relationship-oriented as a result variable, so the theoretical model and research hypotheses are proposed in this paper. Empirical part of this paper limit the furniture industry in Dalian as a research background, and furniture dealers as the survey, through the recovery of 144 valid questionnaires for the survey data hypothesis testing, has been the conclusion of this study:First, the more fairness the channel members (distributors) percept distribution. the more they will take the initiative to curb their opportunism behavior, and channel member's(distributor's) perception of procedural fairness do not significantly affect the implementation of opportunism behavior; Secondly, channel members (distributors) opportunism behavior of the channel members do not directly related; their own long-term relationship-oriented; Finally, there is a clear positive relationship between the fairness perception(both distributive and procedural) of the channel members (distributors) and their long-term relationship-oriented, and perception of procedural fairness play a more apparent role than distributive fairness in affecting long-term relationship-oriented.This paper's contribution lies in two aspects:first, the relationship between the channels of fairness and opportunistic behavior is tested, which broadens scope of fairness study in marketing channel, and also provides a new perspective for opportunistic behavior management-channel equity theory; second, this paper investigated the impact of fairness on the variables in the context of China's social and cultural channels, which is a useful explore about the applicability of Western theories results in china.The above findings also have practical implications for China's enterprises: Manufacturing enterprises should inhibition of opportunistic behavior of its distributers in order to strengthen the channels of control, direct and effective measure is to ensure distribution fairness, in addition.distributive fairness and procedural fairness can improve long-term relationships-oriented of their dealers, but need to distinguish the two effect, because dealers are more affected by perception of procedural fairness than distributive fairness on their long-term relationships-oriented.Finally, this paper points out the limitations and future research directions.