The Causality of Supply Relationships

This study examines the 'logic' or underlying causality of supply relationships. It develops and tests hypotheses, in a LISREL model, on detailed data for 553, 450 and 226 supply relationships in the US, Japanese and European automobile industries. The differences found between the three regions seem small, given the received view that there are fundamental differences between 'Japanese' and 'Western' contracting. However, the differences that remain suggest that in the US perhaps the 'Japanese system' has been surpassed, in a 'third way' that combines the advantages of sufficiently durable relations with the advantages of an open system with great variety.Automobile industries;Learning theory;Social exchange theory;Supply relationships;commitment

An exploratory study in the use of SERVPERF to measure B2B service quality in the Maltese hotel industry

This paper focuses on the use of the SERVPERF instrument in order to measure service quality. The author visited one of Malta's major hotels . Three identical questionnaires were completed by the hotel's Purchasing Manager. An interview was also held. it seems likely that supplier 2 gives the best service. The results of the questionnaire are discussed in the light of customer-buyer relationships. This includes the use of power, competence and media richness.peer-reviewe

Customer Feedback in R&D Business

:Present economic realities, especially the overwhelming influence of 'market' on every aspect of human existence, has brought about a change in the traditional R&D-philosophy of remaining alooffrom 'business' activities. Now marketing the products of R&D to earn money is considered an essential aspect of R&D activity. Measurement, analysis and management of customer satisfaction,essential for success in business, have been recognised as equally important for success in R&D also- Customer Feedback plays a very significant role in success of marketing technologies developed by R&D organisations. The feedback not only indicates the level of customer satisfaction, it can also reveal focus areas needing special attention.The paper briefly discusses the factors influencing customer's satisfaction and loyalty, and the various sources of customer feedback. Further, citing examples from a case-study, an approach has been suggested for measurement and analysis of customer satisfaction,based on customer feedback. At the end, the paper discusses the steps taken so far to obtain meaningful customer feedback through the CSIR's Customer Satisfaction Evaluation (CSE) programme, at NML, and some analysis of the feedback received. The paper also discusses common problems faced in obtaining useful customer feedback

Quality management and supplier development

Central to the concept of T.Q.M. is the nature of the relationships which organisations develop with their suppliers. As organisations improve their own internal efficiency there becomes a need to look externally to their suppliers in order to seek competitive advantage. Previous work on supplier development has focused mainly on the automotive industry. This research is based primarily on the quality management systems and supplier relationships which have been developed at J.Barbour and Sons Ltd, an international clothing company whose name is synonymous with Quality. The research indicates that the organisational structure and culture of companies within the U.K. does not readily support all the principles of T.Q.M. More evidence needs to be sought regarding the benefits to the organisation. Characteristics associated with various types of supplier relationships are defined i.e traditional and partnership. Dependent upon the type of product supplied and by whom, organisations may wish to develop their suppliers to a greater or lesser degree. As a result of the research, recommendations are then given for organisations implementing T.Q.M. or Supplier Development programmes in order to improve the quality of their goods or services

Import of Information Sources in the Industrial Purchase Decision in Maiduguri, Borno State Nigeria

The basic objective of any industrial activity is to develop, manufacture and market products that can meet identified customer/consumer needs and wants at a profit. In order to accomplish this objective "men machines and management" must be carefully acquired and coordinated. A field survey was employed through semi-structured in-depth interviews to secure the basic data on the general purchasing procedure. Some specific purchase case studies were employed to examine the functions of information in the adoption and use of a product. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were utilised for the discussion of results. The study focuses on the information sources of industrial buyers in the purchase of three different categories of items from ten different organisations purposively selected in Maiduguri, Nigeria. The findings indicate that the problem of shortages and disrupted supply of raw materials equipment among Nigerian industries can be attributed to lack of active search and qualification of sources of supplies in the purchasing procedure. The buyers’ search efforts are inadequate and they rely much on suppliers’ salesmen for almost all their information. The suppliers’ personal calls are considered the most important source of information of organisational buyers. The sort of information required by these buyers mostly cantered on price, quality and reputation of supplier, non-task factors largely influence buyers’ decisions as they lack more formalised procedure for search and analysis. It was recommended that information for buying industrial products are needed at all stages of the decision processes and therefore information should be directed at the right people, right time, through personal selling effort than those selling consumer items. The industrial salesmen must contact potential buyers earlier and must play greater role in generating interest and re-enforce contacts and approaches at the final stage of evaluation and trial of the adoption process. Keywords: Information Sources, Adoption Process, Industrial Purchasing, Decision Makin

The role of purchasing in the management and performance of supplier relationships: an empirical investigation in service organisations

This thesis investigates the role of purchasing managers (and departments) in supplier relationships( SRs) and assesses the impact of their role on SRs' performance. Driven by the importance of outsourcing in organisations, there is an intense interest in academia in the study of SRs and an increased awareness that purchasing has an important role to play in their management. In the literature however there appears to be an incoherent view of the actual role of purchasing in SRs, which is limited to anecdotal accounts that take the vague assumption that purchasing managers and departments, by virtue of their position in organisations, manage the SRs. The aim of this thesis is to push theory forward by exploring this role in a systematic way and to investigate whether and how it varies across SRs that involve the exchange of products/services with certain structural characteristics.I n that way it generates insights about how the purchasing function can be leveraged to better manage SRs. A multiple case study research design is employed in order to achieve a deeper and greater understanding of the processes that define the actual role of purchasing. Empirical research is conducted in two large service organisations in the UK (a financial organisation and an airport operator), examining seven diverse SRs that involve the exchange of products and services with different levels of asset specificity and criticality. An integrated framework of various activities that purchasing managers are involved in for the management of SRs is developed initially. The way that purchasing managers conduct these activities in the different SRs is then examined to generate insights about the actual role of purchasing in the individual SRs that is defined in terms of four variables (level of contribution to the development of trust in the SR, level of power in the SRs, level of involvement in the SR and level of contribution to the development of commitment in the SR). With the use of a gap analysis model to assess the performance of the individual SRs, the impact of the role of purchasing on SRs performance is finally extrapolated. The results provide support for the following primary conclusion. The widely held assumption that purchasing managers are in effect supply chain managers is tempered by the findings of this research, which observed a far more limited role for purchasing managers (and a negative impact) in the management of SRs relating to products/services which have high levels of criticality and asset specificity. Their negative impact in such SRs was also observed to have implications for the dyadic relationship of the purchasing department with the internal (customer) departments, which under certain conditions can create problems of coordination in the organisations. From a managerial point of view this thesis demonstrates in a systematic way the contribution and role of purchasing to SRs. The framework of activities that is developed may provide a useful reference point for the auditing and improvement initiatives of purchasing professionals in SRs. From this, guidance about the types of situation in which certain activities may be more important than others will provide a useful guide to how purchasing departments may be involved in an effective and efficient way. Academically, this thesis utilises an innovative conceptual method in evaluating SRs by incorporating two major theoretical frameworks and provides with insights in delineating the actual role of the purchasing function in SRs. Finally, the thesis contributes to the ongoing debate of the establishment of a contiguous Supply Chain Management discipline, by investigating its problem domain

Managing application software suppliers in information system development projects

Information system development (ISD) projects have been associated with the "software crisis" for over three decades. A set of common "root causes" has often been cited in literature with corresponding "solutions". Yet the overall project success rate has remained low, resulting in a paradox of many solutions and little progress over the years. This study examines the management of application software acquisition from external suppliers in ISD projects. Three case studies are documented based on participant observation with complete membership roles. After within-case analyses highlighting issues in individual cases, crosscase analyses are conducted, first to identify a pattern of ISD project challenges and then to search for their explanations. Concepts from agency theory, contract theory and product development literature are used in the process of diagnosing root causes behind the observations. The proposed explanation is that the Traditional Systems Development Framework (TSDF), characterized by competitive-bidding-monopolized-development, underlies the identified root causes. Accordingly, competitive development is suggested as an alternative approach. Following the "Inference to the Best Explanation" (IBE) analytical strategy, the suggested approach is subject to two contrastive analyses, first with the prepackaged software development and then with the construction industry, to demonstrate that the suggestion is a "warranted inference". Further analogical analyses illustrate the feasibility of development competition for software product development. A Performance-Based Systems Development Framework (PBSDF) is outlined as a tentative implementation of the suggested competitive development approach for ISD projects supported by risk-sharing supplier contract and a relative product evaluation approach. A number of future research implications are described as a result of this study after summarizing the research contributions