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).