Background:

John F. Gaski is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of Notre Dame. He is mainly interested in distribution channel management. Some of his studies are about "Environmental and Situational Forces on Industrial Channel Management", "Interrelation among a Channel Entity’s Power Sources", and "The Effects of Exercised and Unexercised Power Sources in a Marketing Channel."

Abstract:

Gaski, John F. (1984). "The Theory of Power and Conflict in Channels of Distribution." Journal of Marketing, 48(Summer), 9-29.

The paper is critical review of the theory of power and conflict in marketing channel management. The author adopts El-Ansary and Stern (1972)’s definition, which states that "power of a channel member is his ability to control the decision variables in the marketing strategy of another member in a given channel at a different level of distribution". The author then proceed to distinguish power from sources of power, and argue that power should be considered a function of the perception of power bases. The concept of channel conflict is also examined and reviewed. Based on previous empirical findings, he proposes a comprehensive theoretical model for the relationship between power and conflict in channel management. Finally, the author stress that previous research in the subject area suffer from a number of problems: (1) poor operationalization of the power concept; (2) insufficient reliability and validity; (3) informant bias; (4) inadequate statistical analysis; and (5) mixing exercised power with unexercised power.
 

References:

Gaski, J. F. (1994). "A three-dimensional conceptualization of interorganizational power." International-Journal-of-Management, 11(1), 539-549.

Gaski, J. F. (1989). "The Impact of Environmental/Situational Forces on Industrial." International Journal of Management, 11(1), 539-549.

Howell, R. D., and Gaski, J. F. (1987). "Covariance Structure Modeling and Measurement Issues: A Note on '' Interrelations Among a Channel Entity's Power Sources''/Commentary on Howell's Observations." Journal of Marketing Research, 24(1), 119-129.

Gaski, J. F., and Etzel, M. J. (1986). "The Index of Consumer Sentiment Toward Marketing." Journal of Marketing, 50(3), 71-81.

Gaski, J. F. (1986). "Interrelations Among a Channel Entity's Power Sources: Impact of the Exercise of Reward and Coercion on Expert, Referent, and Legitimate Power Sources." Journal of Marketing Research, 23(1), 62-77.

Gaski, J. F. (1985). "Nomic Necessity in Marketing Theory: The Issue of Counterfactual Conditionals." Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 13(1/2), 310-320.

Gaski, J. F. (1985). "Dangerous Territory: The Societal Marketing Concept Revisited." Business Horizons, 28(4), 42-47.

Gaski, J. F., and Nevin, J. R. (1985). "The Differential Effects of Exercised and Unexercised Power Sources in a Marketing Channel." Journal of Marketing Research, 22(2), 130-142.

Gaski, J. F. (1984). "The Theory of Power and Conflict in Channels of Distribution." Journal of Marketing, 48(3), 9-29.