The design and management of distribution channels is a 'hot topic' as competition for customers increases in recessionary times. Few companies have managed this process successfully, mainly because it involves radical re-thinking in a corporate field which is traditionally hostile to change....

Relational Exchange Theory suggests that the norms that govern commercial exchange behavior in discrete transactions are markedly different from those in relational exchange. When parties to commercial exchange become involved in a manifest conflict episode, it might be expected that the types...