Determinants of commitment and opportunism: Integrating and extending insights from transaction cost analysis and relational exchange theory

Effectively governed relationships are characterized by high levels of comm itment and low levels of opportunism. In this research, we develop a concep tual model that integrates insights from transaction cost analysis and rela tional exchange theory to identify three key antecedents of commitment and opportunism: transaction specific assets, environmental uncertainty, and re lational norms. Our model extends these prior frameworks by identifying dep endence and long-term orientation as the mediating processes through which the antecedents affect the outcomes. We test the model using a scenario-bas ed experimental method with 168 purchasing managers as subjects. Results pr ovide substantial support for the model. The managerial, theoretical, and f uture research implications of these results are discussed.