Complaint management expectations: An online laddering analysis of small versus large firms Stephan C. Henneberg a, ⁎, Thorsten Gruber a , Alexander Reppel b , Bahar Ashnai a , Peter Naudé a a Manchester IMP Research Group, Manchester Business School, The University of Manchester, UK b School of Management, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK abstract article info Article history: Received 25 November 2008 Received in revised form 11 May 2009 Accepted 13 May 2009 Available online 22 July 2009 Keywords: Complaint management Business-to-business Supplier relationships Laddering Means–end approach This study explores complaint management expectations in business relationships, particularly the qualities and behaviours that affect buying companies as part of the complaint handling encounter with a supplier. An exploratory empirical study uses a hard laddering approach which also allows us to compare the expectations of large and small companies to understand size-effects. The research indicates that complaining companies perceive disruptions of their supplier relationships in the context of the business network within which they are embedded, especially vis-à-vis the benefits associated with long-term supplier ties. However, these network concerns are more pronounced for large companies. Issues of effective complaint management in business-to-business settings therefore need to be addressed not just as isolated managerial activities with limited benefits for the parties involved, but should be seen as being part of a wider activity set of strategic networking activities with an impact on whole business systems. Thus, the findings enrich the existing limited stock of knowledge on the context of complaint management in business relationships and networks. © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 1. Business relationships, interactions, and complaints in small and large companies Understanding business relationships between companies is an important aspect of contemporary marketing theory and practice (Anderson, Håkansson, & Johanson, 1994; Parolini, 1999). Collabora- tion and cooperation with customers, suppliers, and other organiza- tions within business networks often characterize business marketing activities (Achrol & Kotler, 1999). Such exchange structures result in long-term business relationships, the basis for which are a certain degree of trust, commitment, interdependence, as well as mutual relationship-specific investments and adaptations (Anderson et al., 1994; Barnes, Naudé, & Michell, 2005; Barnes, Naudé, & Michell, 2007; Håkansson & Ford, 2002; Morgan & Hunt, 1994). However, relation- ships are not without problems and conflicts, especially in case of power differences between the firms involved (Gaski, 1984; Hingley, 2005). Holmlund-Rytkönen and Strandvik (2005) found that most relationships are indeed characterized by some degree of stress. Imbalances with regard to the power which each partner has within a relationship (Jarrat and Morrison, 2003) are often related to such conflicts accruing (Hingley, 2005); these imbalances often manifest themselves in the relative sizes of the two companies involved, which in turn may lead to conflict (Hingley, 2005; Sanderson, 2004). Research studies like those of the Industrial Marketing & Purchas- ing Group have focused extensively on explaining business relation- ships, juxtaposing them with transactional exchanges (Håkansson, 1982; Ford, Gadde, Håkansson and Snehota, 2003; Ford and Håkansson, 2006). The characteristics of these relationships relate to issues such as innovation, power, risk, as well as to overall company success, and are an important competitive advantage in business markets (Deshpandé, Farley, & Webster, 2000; Ford,1998; Håkansson & Ford, 2002; Ordanini, Micelli, & Di Maria, 2004; Ulaga & Eggert, 2006). Furthermore, much research focuses on how relationships develop and change over their life cycle, and how these relationships ultimately end (Ford, 1980; Lambe, Spekman & Hunt, 2000; Medlin, 2004; Schurr, Hedaa, & Gersbro, 2008; Sutton-Brady, 2008). While many aspects of the relationships between companies within business networks are well understood, the particular interaction patterns between companies, which result in business relationships, are insufficiently conceptualized (Möller & Halinen, 1999; Uzzi, 1997; Holmlund, 2004; Ford & Håkansson, 2006). This finding is especially true for aspects of conflict and stress, resulting in complaint behaviour and complaint management which represent interactions that are assumed to impact on the performance of the underlying relationship (Duarte & Davies, 2003; Vaaland & Håkansson, 2003; Blois, 2008). Such stresses, and hence complaints, are of course to be expected in the episodic interactions between companies in any network. Indeed, it can be argued that “The absence of conflicts or difficulties in a Industrial Marketing Management 38 (2009) 584–598 ⁎ Corresponding author. Manchester Business School, The University of Manchester, Booth Street West, Manchester M15 6PB, UK. Tel.: +44 161306 3463. E-mail addresses: Stephan.Henneberg@mbs.ac.uk (S.C. Henneberg), Thorsten.Gruber@mbs.ac.uk (T. Gruber), Alexander.Reppel@rhul.ac.uk (A. Reppel), Bahar.Ashnai@mbs.ac.uk (B. Ashnai), Peter.Naude@mbs.ac.uk (P. Naudé). 0019-8501/$ – see front matter © 2009 Elsevier Inc. 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