• Guerin, John M.
  University of Maine
  

The European Union (EU) represents the largest market for US forest products outside of North America, with exports valued over $1.2 billion in 1993. Markets within the EU are competitive and diverse, with many global sources competing for the same customers. The goal of this research was to gain an insight into the various factors that affect the purchase of selected US forest products in the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands. This was achieved by using both qualitative and quantitative techniques. A structured mail survey was completed by 166 resellers in the three markets and the survey findings were correlated with the results of a series of in-depth personal interviews. The survey focussed on the elements of channel structure, supplier and product attribute analysis, sources of conflict, and the assessment of power among channel members.