Economic and Social Satisfaction in Marketing Channels: The Impact of Influence Strategies in an African County

Abstract

This article seeks, among others, to empirically validate the theory proposed by Geyskens et al. (1999) on the impact of influence strategies on economic and social satisfaction in the context of an African Country. New hypotheses are developed by focusing on some cultural aspects specific to the country. Consistent with the theory by Geyskens et al., we found that the use of threats and indirect influence strategies respectively decreases and increases both economic and social satisfaction whereas, the use of promises does positively contribute to economic satisfaction. However, contrary to the theory, the use of promises does not undermine channel members’ autonomy and intrinsic motivation as it will be expected in some Western countries. Surprisingly, we found that, in spite of the prevalent autocratic and paternalistic management style in Africa, information exchange is the most frequently used influence strategy.