Postponement, Speculation and the Structure of Distribution Channels

Abstract

➤While the study of marketing has long been concerned with the creation of time, space, and possession utilities, much of the literature of the field has dealt with the problems of ownership. Issues involving space and time, in particular, have been scarcely touched. The role of time with respect to the character of the structure of distribution channels, for example, has just begun to be charted. The purpose of this article is to derive a principle describing the effect of temporal factors upon distribution systems.