The interaction of dependence and trust in industrial long-term relationships

Nowadays, one of the most remarkable characteristics of some interorganizational relationships is their aim of reaching efficiency through joint action, cooperation and long-term orientation. This paper makes use of different theoretical contributions to deal with the interaction of economic and social determinants of efficient buyer-seller relationships. The proposed hypotheses are tested using information from supplier-manufacturer relationships in the automobile industry. Consistent with the expectation, empirical results indicate that trust moderate the effect of interdependence on the exchange's relational orientation, so that trust enhance the relational orientation perceived by the manufacturer and the supplier. Theoretical and managerial implications of the results are discussed.