RELATIONSHIP MARKETING

the dyadic relationship of a buyer and a seller, bonding can be described as a dynamic process that is progressive over time (Dwyer et al., 1987; Ganesan, 1994; Levitt, 1983). The bonding process begins with the very basic force of the need for a seller to find a buyer for their product, and the desire for a buyer to purchase a product that will satisfy their needs. As time goes on, this relationship then advances toward interdependency between the buyer and the seller, which will finally lead to a situation between the two where there is total commitment on the part of both parties. Termination costs now restrict or almost prohibit an easy dissolution of the bond. At this advanced stage in the relationship, the bonds are so solidified that they are almost impossible to break (Heide and Weiss, 1995).

At the lowest or most rudimentary level, bonding begins as a result of the fulfillment of a basic business need on the part of both parties involved, and then grows as a social relation...