Public purchasing professionals bought approximately 500 billion dollars worth of products and services from marketers in 1979; this figure represented 20% of this country's gross national product for that year. Therefore, public purchasing professionals constitute a key segment of interest to marketers. Ascertaining the effects that 'marketer controlled' variables have on the role conflict and role ambiguity of the public purchasing professional can thus contribute to marketing management and to marketing thought. Two of these variables are the perceived Customer Orientation of the Vendor salesperson and the Influence Strategy/s used by the salesperson. Other variables that can provide valuable information to marketers are purchasing professionals' perceptions of Uncertainty and/or Conflict regarding their organizations' performance (or reward/measurement) indexes. These three variables along with experience are hypoth- esized antecedents to role conflict and role ambiguity. The consequent variables to role conflict, role ambiguity, and experience, are the purchasing professional's perceptions of Satisfaction with the Salesperson, and Satisfaction with Organizational Policies. Data was collected from a random sample (N=345) of the members of the National Institute of Government Purchasing. The usable response rate was 49. 92%. Data was analyzed through the use of LISREL VI. Hypotheses were tested by examining the direction of the LISREL parameters, and the statistical significance of their t-values. Support was found for ten of fourteen hypotheses. Findings from the study can be used in training salespeople and purchasing professionals; the study also has implications for marketing strategy. The variables being researched can provide insights that can then be used in research in sales management and organizational buying behavior. / Ph. D.