University of Vermont

Faculty Profiles

• Professor
  • Chiang, Kevin C.H. Ph.D.
  • DeWitt, Rocki-Lee Ph.D.
  • McIntosh, Barbara R. Ph.D.
  • Noordewier, Thomas G. Ph.D.
  • Sharma, Sanjay Ph.D.
  • Sharma, Pramodita Ph.D.
  • Sinkula, James M. Ph.D.
• Associate Professor
  • Arel, Barbara Ph.D.
  • Bonifield, Carolyn M Ph.D.
  • Cats-Baril, William L. Ph.D.
  • Dempsey, Stephen J. Ph.D.
  • Hughes, Susan B. Ph.D.
  • Jones, David A. Ph.D.
  • Lucas, Marilyn T. Ph.D.
  • Novak, David Ph.D.
  • Parke, E. Lauck Ph.D.
  • Tomas III, Michael J. Ph.D.
  • Vanden Bergh, Richard G. Ph.D.
  • Zhang, Chun Ph.D.
• Assistant Professor
  • Beaudoin, Cathy A. Ph.D.
  • Do, Hung Tuan Ph.D.
  • Kingsley, Allison F. MSL, Ph.D.
  • Marble III, Hugh Ph.D., CFA
  • Walberg, Glenn C. JD, LLM
  • Zhang, Jie DBA
• Lecturer/Sr Lecturer
  • Chittenden, Thomas I. MBA
  • Monahan, John D. JD
  • Tomas, Amy M. Ph.D.
  • Woodman, Martha MBA
• Lecturer (Part Time)
  • Jones, Christopher Ph.D.
  • Kasper, Keith J. JD
  • Lee, Peter PhD
  • Meier, Frederic MPA
  • Mount, David W. MBA
  • Walberg, Julia C MS
  • Wood, Larry N. MBA
• Faculty Emeritus
  • Averyt, William F. Ph.D.
  • Battelle, Peter E. M.B.A.
  • Brandenburg, Richard G. Ph.D.
  • Gatti, James F. Ph.D.
  • Gurdon, Michael A. Ph.D.
  • Jesse, Richard R. Ph.D.
  • Kraushaar, James M. Ph.D.
  • Laber, Gene Ph.D.
  • Savitt, Ronald Ph.D.
  • Severance, Malcolm Ph.D.
  • Shirland, Larry E. Ph.D.
  • Tashman, Len J. Ph.D.

Chun Zhang, Ph.D. Associate Professor

Contact Information

Office: 213A Kalkin
Phone: 656-4116
E-Mail: chun.zhang@uvm.edu

Office Hours: Wed and Thur 2:00pm-3:00 pm or by appointment

Dr. Zhang joined UVM in the fall of 2005. She received her Ph.D. in Marketing and her M.S. degree in Agricultural Economics from Michigan State University and her B.A. in Finance from Renmin University of China. Her teaching interests revolve around marketing management, international marketing, and research methods in marketing. Dr. Zhang's current research interests include relationship management challenges in channels of distribution and issues of cooperation and competition in supplier-manufacturer relations. For her work related to upstream supply chain, Dr. Zhang has received several research grants from the prestigious MIT-IMVP (International Motor Vehicle Program). Her scholarly work has appeared in a number of top international business journals including the Journal of International Business Studies, the Journal of International Marketing, the Journal of World Business, and International Marketing Review. Dr. Zhang's industry experiences include statistical analyst for the Risk Management Group at Kraft Foods Inc. and project intern for Euro-Asia Flower Trade Corporation, Beijing.

Publication History

Journal Article, Academic Journal

• Huang, Y.; Stinquist, B.; Zhang, C.; Calantone, R. C. - "A Mixed-Method Study of the Effects of Guanxi between Salespersons and Buyers on Retailer-Supplier Relationships in China" (Refereed) - Journal of Marketing Channels - 2011 [Show/Hide Abstract]
  Abstract: The social network and relationship marketing literatures urge firms to cultivate social ties to form favorable relationships with other business partners. We question the universality of this recommendation by examining the influence of guanxi (i.e., interpersonal social ties) between supplier salespersons and retail buyers in the retail industry in China. Using a mixed-method study combining both qualitative and quantitative stages, we find that guanxi between supplier salespersons and retail buyers may not enhance retailer-supplier relationship quality. Furthermore, our results show that guanxi between supplier salespersons and retail buyers may weaken the positive effect of supplier role performance on retailer satisfaction.
  
• Zhang, C.; Viswanathan, S.; Henke Jr., J. W. - "The Boundary Spanning Capabilities of Purchasing Agents in Buyer-Supplier Trust Development" (Refereed) - Journal of Operations Management - 2011 - v. 29, no. 4, pp. 318-328 [View publication] [Show/Hide Abstract]
  Abstract: This study examines how individual purchasing agents function as boundary spanners with suppliers to influence trust development in themselves and the buying firms that employ them. Building upon boundary theory and supply chain cooperation research, we identify three boundary spanning capabilities of purchasing agents and empirically test how these capabilities shape buyer???supplier trust development. Using two samples of data collected from suppliers in the automotive industry and food industry, we found that a purchasing agent's effectiveness in strategic communication with suppliers affects a supplier's trust in the buying firm, while an agent's professional knowledge and ability to reach compromises with suppliers affect a supplier???s trust in the purchasing agent representing the firm. Trust in the purchasing agent in turn affects trust in the buying firm. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed. ?? 2010 ElsevierB.V. All rights reserved.
  
• Henke, Jr., J. W.; Zhang, C. - "Increasing Supplier-Driven Innovation " (Refereed) - MIT Sloan Management Review - 2010 - pp. 41-46 [View publication] [Show/Hide Abstract]
  Abstract: More than 50 years ago, management guru Peter Drucker identified innovation as one of the basic ways in which a business builds and maintains a competitive position in the marketplace. It wasn't until recently, however, that companies not only established internal environments conducive to innovation but also began identifying, cultivating and taking advantage of a wide variety of external sources for innovation. Among such sources suppliers are recognized as having especially large innovation potential because they know what the companies-that is, their customers-are doing and need and also because mechanisms for knowledge transfer from supplier to customer are typically in place. But years of evaluating supplier working relations in various manufacturing and service industries reveal that it is one thing for a mechanism to be available by which suppliers may transfer innovation to customers and quite another for the suppliers actually to do the transferring.
  
• Zhang, C.; Henke Jr., J. W.; Griffith, D. A. - "Do Buyer Cooperative Actions Matter under Relational Stress? Evidence from Japanese and U.S. Assemblers in the U.S. Automotive Industry" (Refereed) - Journal of Operations Management - 2009 - v. 27, no. 6, pp. 479-494 [View publication] [Show/Hide Abstract]
  Abstract: Buyers can create relational stress even as they work cooperatively with suppliers. This study investigates the moderating effects of relational stress on the ability of buyer-initiated cooperative actions to influence a supplier's willingness to invest in technology that will be of benefit to the buyer. Data on 2012 buying situations were collected from Tier 1 suppliers to three U.S. domestic automotive assemblers (Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors) and three Japanese transplant automotive assemblers (Honda, Nissan, and Toyota) over three consecutive years (2003-2005). The results indicate that (1) buyer-initiated cooperative actions of communication, assistance, and supplier involvement increase a supplier's willingness to invest in technology, (2) the relationship-enhancing effect of buyer assistance increases under high relational stress, while the effectiveness of buyer communication decreases, and (3) that the effect of supplier involvement is not significantly influenced by relational stress levels. Furthermore, we found that supplier relations with Japanese transplant assemblers are characterized by higher levels of cooperative actions, lower levels of relational stress, and higher levels of supplier willingness to invest in technology when compared to those of U.S. domestic assemblers.
  
• Henke Jr., J. W.; Yeniyurt, S.; Zhang, C. - "Supplier Price Concessions: A Longitudinal Empirical Study" (Refereed) - Marketing Letters - 2009 - v. 20, no. 1, pp. 61-74 [View publication] [Show/Hide Abstract]
  Abstract: The competitive nature of today's business-to-business markets requires companies to continually look for ways to reduce costs; one of the easiest of which is to demand price reductions from suppliers. In this research, price reduction demands and the corresponding concessions given by 238 suppliers to the six major North American Automotive OEMs during 2001-2007 are analyzed utilizing a simultaneous equation model. The three stage least squares estimates indicate that suppliers are willing to give higher price concessions when buyers align specific interfacing characteristics and processes with their suppliers so that the suppliers perceive greater opportunities for future business and profit. These results provide, for the first time, an understanding of the dynamic nature of the impact of buyer-supplier relational components on supplier price concessions.
  
• Zhang, C.; Hu, Z.; Gu, F. F. - "Intra- and Interfirm Coordination of Export Manufacturers: A Cluster Analysis of Indigenous Chinese Exporters" (Refereed) - Journal of International Marketing - 2008 - v. 16, no. 3, pp. 108-135 [Show/Hide Abstract]
  Abstract: Export manufacturers face challenges associated with intrafirm coordination among functional units and interfirm coordination with foreign distributors. The majority of research on export coordination examines intra- and interfirm coordination strategies separately. Consequently, limited insights have been gained on how export manufacturers combine the various intra- and interfirm coordination strategies to achieve export success. Using a cluster analysis, the current study incorporates both intra- and interfirm coordination strategies as inputs to identify profiles of export manufacturers. Four distinct profiles were identified: balanced coordinators, interactive coordinators, flexibility-only coordinators, and unfocused coordinators. We found that the best performers are balanced coordinators, the export manufacturers who concurrently deploy multiple intra- and interfirm coordination strategies.
  
• Griffith, D. A.; Zhang, C.; Cavusgil, S. T. - "Attributions of Noncooperative Incidents and Response Strategies: The Role of National Character" (Refereed) - Journal of World Business - 2006 - v. 41, pp. 356-367 [View publication] [Show/Hide Abstract]
  Abstract: Economic and relational equity in global inter-organizational relationships can be enhanced if partners correctly attribute the cause of noncooperative incidents and employ appropriate response strategies. Integrating attribution theory, national character theory and elements of the inter-organizational management literature, we construct a conceptual framework of global interorganizational managers' responses to incidents of noncooperation aimed at maximizing relationship economic and relational equity. A managerial assessment process, emphasizing the importance of inpatriation, is provided to assist firms engaged in global inter-organizational relationships in minimizing attribution error in assessing and responding to noncooperative incidents.
  
• Zhang, C.; Griffith, D. A.; Cavusgil, S. - "The Litigated Dissolution of International Distribution Relationships: A Process Framework and Propositions" (Refereed) - Journal of International Marketing/American Marketing Association - 2006 - v. 14, no. 2, pp. 85-115 [View publication] [Show/Hide Abstract]
  Abstract: The litigated dissolution of international distribution relationships severely hampers exchange partners' international efforts. Although relationship dissolution through litigation is a central issue in international business, limited research has been conducted to understand this process, thus leaving academics and practitioners with an incomplete theoretical or practitioner understanding of issues involved in this process. This study uses a systematic analysis of legal cases over the 1985-2005 period to better understand this issue from a longitudinal perspective. Using legal case data, the authors develop a process framework, which includes formalized propositions, to denote two separate litigation dissolution processes: proactive and reactive. The legal case analysis indicates that the two types of relationship dissolution processes have unique triggers and outcomes, which suggests differences in theoretical models and managerial actions. The authors present academic and practitioner implications.
  
• Cavusgil, S.; Delingonul, S.; Zhang, C. - "Curbing Foreign Distributor Opportunism: An Examination of Trust, Contracts, and The Legal Environment In International Channel Relationships" (Refereed) - Journal of International Marketing - 2004 - v. 12, no. 2, pp. 7-27 [View publication] [Show/Hide Abstract]
  Abstract: Many tenets of cross-border governance arrangements are broad brush projections of domestic findings. In order to explore such generalizations this study formulates and tests propositions about limiting the potential opportunistic behavior of foreign distributors by using data from a large set of U.S. based manufacturers. The findings challenge two sweeping generalizations about governance arrangements in the cross-border context. The first is that a manufacturer is often handicapped disproportionately by its level of brand and scale prominence. Formal contracts as prescribed by transaction cost analysis, though negatively related to opportunism, do not have a significant effect on alleviating foreign distributor opportunism. The second is that the joint use of trust and formal contracts is not significantly associated with opportunism. Trust and formal contracts serve different purposes. Trust makes the relationship function, and contracts institute and legitimize it. Furthermore, earlier studies investigate opportunism in isolation, whereas this study points to the influence of legal hostility on the management of opportunism in the export market.
  
• Di Benedetto, C. A.; Calantone, R. J.; Zhang, C. - "International Technology Transfer: Model and Exploratory Study in the People's Republic of China" (Refereed) - International Marketing Review (Special Issue on New Product Development) - 2003 - v. 20, no. 4, pp. 446-462 [View publication] [Show/Hide Abstract]
  Abstract: Adoption of foreign-developed technology by firms in developing nations will accelerate the speed by which they become globally competitive in new product development. In this study, we build and empirically test an extension of the technology acceptance model (TAM) - the "extended TAM" - applied to the study of international transfer of product technology. The extended TAM model derives from the TAM of Davis et al., extensively used in information technology applications. The extended TAM is built on the premise that a person's attitudes toward a behavior influence their intentions to perform that behavior, and behavioral intentions influence the actual performance of the behavior. In the extended TAM, perceived ease of use is operationalized as two independent variables, technological compatibility and ease of adoption, and anticipated benefits of adoption are operationalized in terms of technical and economic benefits to the adopting firm. These antecedents have direct and indirect effects on attitudes toward the adoption of foreign-developed technology by managers from developing countries, and on behavioral intentions to adopt such technology. We conduct an exploratory empirical test of the model using a convenience sample of respondents representing several industries in the People's Republic of China (PRC). Strong support is found for all hypotheses in the model. We conclude with research and managerial implications regarding international technology transfer and new product development.
  
• Zhang, C.; Cavusgil, S. T.; Roach, A. S. - "Manufacturer Governance of Foreign Distributor Relationships: Do Relational Norms Enhance Competitiveness In The Export Market?" (Refereed) - Journal of International Business Studies - 2003 - v. 34, no. 6, pp. 550-566 [View publication] [Show/Hide Abstract]
  Abstract: Research on international marketing channels accentuates the importance of relational norms and trust-building activities between buyers and sellers. Indeed, cultural and country differences may limit the use and effectiveness of traditional tools (such as market incentives and authoritative control) that govern the relationship between an exporting manufacturer and its foreign distributor. Consequently, exporting manufacturers need to emphasize relationships with their foreign distributors. This research finds evidence that supports both direct and indirect effects between the manufacturer???s use of governance via relational norms and its competitiveness in the export market. The indirect effect results from the mediating role of trust, a finding that makes a key contribution to the understanding of the role of relational governance in cross-border relationships.
  
• Cavusgil, S. T.; Chan, K.; Zhang, C. - "Strategic Orientations in Export Pricing: A Clustering Approach to Create Firm Taxonomies" (Refereed) - Journal of International Marketing - 2003 - v. 11, no. 1, pp. 47-72 [View publication] [Show/Hide Abstract]
  Abstract: Changes in the global economy have made pricing strategy increasingly important for exporting manufacturers. However, relatively little empirical work exists on export pricing strategies to guide marketing managers. The authors u-se a firm's strategic orientations in export pricing to create firm typologies. They find that four clusters of firms differ across organizational, venture-related, export market, and performance variables. The findings suggest that managerial orientations in export pricing can be successfully used to group firms in how they approach pricing decisions.
  

Conference Proceeding

• Zhang, C. - (Forthcoming) "Reciprocity between buyer cost-sharing and supplier willingness to invest in technology " (Refereed) - American Marketing Association - 2013
• Zhang, C. - "Linking Boundary Spanners??? Capability with a Firm???s Relational Capital -- A Cross-Country Study of Managing Buyer-Supplier Relations" - Academy of International Business Annual Conference, Academy of International Business - 2008
• Zhang, C.; Hu, Z. - "Coordination Practices of Export Manufacturers: A Cluster Analysis of Indigenous Chinese Exporters" (Refereed) - Academy of Marketing Science - 2007
• Zhang, C.; Cavusgil, S. A.; Griffith, D. A.; Zhao, M. - "Recuperative Strategies to Non-cooperative Incidents in International Distribution Partnerships" (Refereed) - Academy of International Business/American Marketing Association - 2006 [View publication]
• Zhang, C. - "Managing Salesperson Opportunism: The Relational Governance Mechanisms" (Refereed) - American Marketing Association Winter Educators' Conference Proceedings - 2003
• Zhang, C.; Cavusgil , S. T.; Delinogul, S. Z. - "The Role of Relational Governance and Formal Governance on Foreign Distributor Opportunism in Diverse Legal and Institutional Environment" (Refereed) - American Marketing Association Summer Educators' Conference Proceedings - 2003

Book, Chapter in Scholarly Book-New

• McIntosh, B. R.; Zhang, C. - "Aging: the Role of Work and Changing Implications in the United States and China" - Springer Publishing - 2012 ,

Research Report

• Di Benedetto, C. A.; Calantone, R. J.; Zhang, C. - "Model and exploratory study in the People's Republic of China" (Refereed) - 2003 - v. 20, no. 4, pp. 446-462 [Show/Hide Abstract]
  Abstract: Adoption of foreign-developed technology by firms in developing nations will accelerate the speed by which they become globally competitive in new product development. In this study, we build and empirically test an extension of the technology acceptance model (TAM) ??? the ???extended TAM??? ??? applied to the study of international transfer of product technology. The extended TAM model derives from the TAM of Davis et al., extensively used in information technology applications. The extended TAM is built on the premise that a person's attitudes toward a behavior influence their intentions to perform that behavior, and behavioral intentions influence the actual performance of the behavior. In the extended TAM, perceived ease of use is operationalized as two independent variables, technological compatibility and ease of adoption, and anticipated benefits of adoption are operationalized in terms of technical and economic benefits to the adopting firm. These antecedents have direct and indirect effects on attitudes toward the adoption of foreign-developed technology by managers from developing countries, and on behavioral intentions to adopt such technology. We conduct an exploratory empirical test of the model using a convenience sample of respondents representing several industries in the People's Republic of China (PRC). Strong support is found for all hypotheses in the model. We conclude with research and managerial implications regarding international technology transfer and new product development.
  

Book Review

• Zhang, C. - "Book Review: Relationship between Exporters and Their Foreign Sales and Marketing Intermediaries" - International Business Review - 2007 ,
• Zhang, C. - "The Chinese Market In Foreign Eyes: A Review of 400 Million Customers and Oil for the Lamps of China" - Journal of Macromarketing - 2004 - v. 24, no. 2, , [View publication]