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Key aspects of organizational buying: conceptualization and measurement

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Abstract

Much research has been devoted to organizational buying. Unfortunately, few studies focus on the development of specific measures of organizational buying behavior. And although many concepts in the literature are useful for describing and discussing buying behavior, they often cut across other buying activities and therefore may not be empirically distinct. This research applies a combination of literature- and field-based approaches to develop four distinct constructs that underlie the numerous activities in which buyers engage: procedural control, proactive focusing, use of analysis techniques, and search for information. Measurement scales for these constructs are created and then evaluated through a survey of purchasing professionals. The procedure resulted in a set of constructs and measures that may be applied to several complex areas of organizational buying research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. the State University of New York at Buffalo, USA

    Michele D. Bunn

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  1. Michele D. Bunn
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She received her B.A. and M.B.A. from Michigan State University and her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on the use of information in various decision contexts. She has published several articles in journals such as theJournal of Marketing, Journal of Business to Business Marketing, andHealth Marketing Quarterly. Her research has also appeared in the proceedings of several national conferences.

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Bunn, M.D. Key aspects of organizational buying: conceptualization and measurement. JAMS 22, 160–169 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1177/0092070394222005

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