Sandy D. Jap

CV and Papers

Curriculum Vita

Download Professor Jap's Curriculum vita. This document is in pdf format.

Past Publications

To download Professor Jap's papers on Online Reverse Auctions, go to the Online Reverse Auctions section.

Sandy D. Jap and Erin Anderson (2007), Testing a Life-Cycle Theory of Interorganizational Relationships: Movement Across Stages and Performance, Management Science, 53(2), 260-75. (Download PDF file).

How does the history of a business relationship impact how well an organization performs today? In this research, we consider how a relationship's developmental path impacts the current period performance of one partner. We show that relationships that develop through forward progressions perform better than those that have developed through regressive patterns; in other words, a negative history extracts a price. We also find that salesreps are critical for enabling relationships to develop in a healthy manner and to perform in the face of strain.

Janet Bercovitz, Sandy D. Jap, and Jackson Nickerson (2006), "The Antecedents and Performance Implications of Cooperative Exchange Norms," Organization Science, 17(6), 724-40. (Download PDF file).

When is it worth developing cooperation and is it possible to develop too much? In this research we find that developing cooperation makes sense when both parties have made unique investments for each other and when it is relatively easy to observe each other's activities. We also examine the gap between the levels of cooperation that firms attempt to develop and their actual levels and find that when cooperation is not sufficiently developed, relationship performance suffers, but over-developing cooperation increases the likelihood that partners will work together again in the future.

Erin Anderson and Sandy D. Jap (2005), "The Dark-Side of Close Relationships," Sloan Management Review, 46(3), 75-82.

Ironically, the very factors that make partnerships with suppliers or customers beneficial can leave those relationships vulnerable to deterioration. But companies can take steps to prevent – or repair – partnership problems. In this article, we contend that the factors that make close business relationships beneficial also open them to the "dark side" of decline and decay. We provide strategies for both preventing and addressing these problems. Reprints are available at http://sloanreview.mit.edu/smr/issue/2005/spring/14/.

Jap, Sandy D. and Erin Anderson (2003), "Safeguarding Interorganizational Performance and Continuity Under Ex Post Opportunism," Management Science, 49(12), 1684-1701.

Although firms attempt to create relationships that are free of opportunism, the reality is that despite their best efforts, some opportunism remains. What happens when this post-transaction opportunism grows? This research shows that as opportunism grows, relationship safeguards such as goal congruence and mutual investments can effectively safeguard the valuable performance outcomes that have been developed in the relationship. However, at lower levels of opportunism, interpersonal trust can play a critical role. (Download PDF file).

Jap, Sandy D. (2001), "'Pie-Sharing' in Complex Collaboration Contexts," Journal of Marketing Research, 38(1), 86-99.

How should the benefits of R&D be shared? 50/50 or according to each participant's inputs? This paper shows that sharing principles can have a positive or negative effect on the relationship depending on the type of sharing principle used, and the characteristics of the resources and organizations. In particular, sharing processes should be responsive to the goals of the collaboration. (Download PDF file).

Jap, Sandy D. (2001), "Customer Trust and the Relationship Lifecycle: Implications for Salesforce Strategies", Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Special Issue on Strategic Issues in Salesforce Management, 21(2), 95-108.

  • Selected by the editorial board as the Best Article published in JPSSM in 2001.

The use of salesreps to build trusting relationships and satisfaction with customers is a strategic choice in many organizations. But is this always true or are there limits to this? In this research, I show that the value of the customer's interpersonal trust in a salesrep is both time-and context-dependent over various phases of the customer relationship lifecycle.

Jap, Sandy D. (2000), "Perspectives on Joint Competitive Advantages in Buyer-Supplier Relationships," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Special Issue on Competition and Marketing, 18(2001), 19-35.

How are joint competitive advantages created, eroded and preserved in buyer-supplier relationships? This paper summarizes the findings around competitive advantages from three longitudinal studies in a variety of industries. The results underscore the critical role of specialized investments, ex post opportunism, shared goals, and interpersonal trust. There is also evidence that competitive advantages has positive, spillover effects on relationship performance as well. (Download PDF file).

Jap, Sandy D. and Shankar Ganesan (1999), "Control Mechanisms and the Relationship Lifecycle: Implications for Safeguarding Specific Investments and Developing Commitment, Journal of Marketing Research, 37(2), 227-45.

  • Winner of the Lou Stern Award 2007
  • #8 in top 10 most cited articles in Journal of Marketing Research from 2000 - 2006.

How can a retailer cultivate the commitment of a powerful supplier?  Many say that joint investments, contracts, and social norms are the way to go. In this paper, we show that these mechanisms are time-dependent, that is, they are particularly useful in specific phases of a customer relationship lifecycle. (Download PDF file).

Jap, Sandy D. (1999), "'Pie-Expansion' Efforts: Collaboration Processes in Buyer-Supplier Relationships," Journal of Marketing Research, 36(4), 461-75.

  • Finalist for the 2004 O'Dell Award, given by the Journal of Marketing Research
  • Winner of the 1996 Academy of Marketing Science and Mary Kay Cosmetics Dissertation Award.
  • Winner of the 1993 Alden G. Clayton Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Competition Award, sponsored by the Marketing Science Institute.
  • Finalist in the 1993 Doctoral Dissertation Competition, sponsored by the Institute for the Study of Business Markets, the Pennsylvania State University.

How can two firms expand the pie of mutual benefits between them? What characteristics should you look for in a partnering firm? Do partnerships pay off over time? In this paper, I find that partnering relationships definitely pay off over time, however, in order to achieve this, both parties must make some risky investments and put some dedicated efforts into the process. Good partners are those who are trustworthy, have similar goals, and bring complementary competencies to the table. (Download PDF file).

Fein, Adam J. & Sandy D. Jap (1998), "Managing Consolidation in Your Channel," Sloan Management Review, 41(1), 61-72.

In many industries, suppliers are facing intermediary consolidation in their distribution channels. How should manufacturers manage relationships and investments during this period? How can they ensure that they remain viable players in the changing competitive landscape? In this article, we evaluate the pros and cons of four strategic postures: (1) Partnering with the "winners" of consolidation, (2) Investing in fragmentation, (3) Building an alternative route to market, and (4) Creating new channel equity. (Reprints are available at: http://sloanreview.mit.edu/smr/issue/1999/fall/5/).

Jap, Sandy D., Chris Manolis, and Barton A. Weitz, "Relationship Quality and Buyer-Seller Interactions in Channels of Distribution," The Journal of Business Research's special issue on Relationship Marketing, November, 1999, 46(3), 303-314.

These days, everyone is talking about relationship marketing in channels of distribution.  But what does relationship marketing really look like in face-to-face interactions?  In this paper, we examine retail buyers and vendors in high and low quality relationships and find some striking differences. (Download PDF file).

Invited Chapters and Other Publications

Jap, Sandy D. and Erin Anderson (2004), "Challenges and Advances in Marketing Strategy Field Research," invited chapter in Cool Tools for Assessing Marketing Strategy Performance, eds. Christine Moorman and Don Lehmann, Marketing Science Institute.

Jap, Sandy D. (2001), "The Relationship-Technology Interface: A Path to Competitive Advantage," lead chapters invited in the Future Directions of Supply Chain and Technology Management, invited book chapter, eds. Tonya Boone and Ram Ganeshan.

Weitz, Barton A. and Sandy D. Jap (1995), "Relationship Marketing and Distribution Channels," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Special Issue on Relationship Marketing, Invited Commentary, 23(4), 305-320.

  • Also reprinted in Handbook of Relationship Marketing, editors Jagdish Sheth and Atul Parvatiyar, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA (1999)