ABSTRACT

The first three relationships are marketing classics, although here they are observed

through the relationship eye-glasses. The relationship between the customer and the

supplier (R1) – the classic dyad – constitutes the foundation for commercial exchange

and interaction; it is the parent relationship of marketing. It is supplemented by a third

force, competition, which is a necessary element of a market economy; the relationship

between a customer, its present supplier and the supplier’s competitors constitute the

classic triad (R2). Physical distribution has always been central in marketing. It has

broadened into channel management and here it is viewed as a network of relationships,

the classic network of marketing (R3).