Industrial Purchasing Behavior: A Reappraisal

This paper will demonstrate that, in spite of the considerable theoretical interest attached to Theodore Levittt's experimental study on industrial purchasing behavior, few prescriptions for managerial action can safely be drawn from his research. Weakness in the design and implementation of his experiment and in his analysis of the data combine to invalidate many of Levitt's inferences. Most saliently, a reanalysis of this study leaves us with no reason to believe that a company's generalized reputation is at all important in securing a first hearing or early adoption of its products.