Research Article
A Study on the Moderating Effect of Environmental Uncertainty on the Promotion and Mitigation of Relationship Dissolution Intention
1 Kyungpook National University, 2 Yonsei University
Published: January 2005 · Vol. 34 No. 5 · pp. 1501-1533
Full Text
Abstract
This study examines whether environmental uncertainty has a moderating effect on the influence of mitigating and facilitating factors of relationship dissolution intention on such intention. An empirical analysis was conducted through a survey targeting the perspective of purchasing agents in the relationship between purchasing agents and suppliers in the domestic PVC pipe/fitting industry. The sample consisted of 98 agents that purchase products from a leading firm in the domestic PVC pipe/fitting industry. The results of hypothesis testing through moderated multiple regression analysis showed that, consistent with hypothetical expectations, all eight hypotheses indicated that environmental uncertainty, in terms of directionality, diminishes the influence of factors that either mitigate or facilitate relationship dissolution intention. Specifically, regarding the mitigation of relationship dissolution intention, the interaction terms including environmental uncertainty increased dissolution intention, while regarding the facilitation of relationship dissolution intention, the interaction terms including environmental uncertainty decreased dissolution intention. However, the magnitude of these effects was very small, and the interaction terms including environmental uncertainty were not statistically significant. Additionally, this study conducted an F-test to examine whether the ΔR², representing the increase in explanatory power resulting from adding interaction terms to the restricted model, was statistically significant, beyond the moderated multiple regression analysis. The F-test results were also not statistically significant. Therefore, environmental uncertainty was found not to have a moderating effect on the facilitation or mitigation of relationship dissolution intention. Finally, the theoretical contributions and managerial implications of this study were discussed, and the limitations of the study and directions for future research were presented.
