E-procurement quality from an internal customer perspective: Construct development, refinement, and replication using a mixed methods approach

Purpose Despite significant investment in e-procurement by many organisations, perceived failings in the quality of such technologies and of the support provided to use them – termed here e-procurement quality – continue to generate resistance from internal customers who must assimilate e-procurement into their daily routines. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to advance the understanding of e-procurement quality from an internal customer perspective and to develop, refine, and validate construct measures. Design/methodology/approach Research was undertaken in the UK and the Netherlands incorporating a literature review, a qualitative study with 58 interviews, a quantitative study with 274 survey respondents, and a replication study with 154 survey respondents. Findings Analysis reveals that e-procurement quality comprises five universally applicable dimensions: processing, content, usability, professionalism, and training. A sixth dimension, specification, appears to be applicable, but context specific. Originality/value The study represents one of the most extensive investigations of e-procurement quality to date and is the first to examine its underlying dimensional structure. The multi-item scales developed and validated using a mixed-methods process are suitable for theory building and testing, as well as providing useful diagnostic value to practitioners. </jats:sec

Trading interactions: supplier empathy, consensus and bias

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of buyers' attitudes towards the partial consensus surrounding the benefits of buyer-supplier cooperation – the relational exchange perspective. Design/methodology/approach – The extent to which buyers display an awareness of, and willingness to respond positively to, supplier needs, wants and preferences – termed supplier empathy – and how this influences their attitude towards buyer-supplier cooperation and support of relational exchange is empirically assessed. In addition, factors that may influence levels of supplier empathy and the effect of supplier empathy on the incidence of supplier problems are examined. Finally, the extent to which social acceptability bias may mask attitudes in areas where consensus exists is considered. An empirical study utilising survey data from members of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply in the UK was completed. A total of 421 useable responses were received and analysed to evaluate hypotheses. The design also included efforts to identify the presence, and minimise the effects, of social acceptability bias. Findings – The analysis indicates that the partial consensus surrounding the relational exchange approach is not shared by all practitioners. In addition, it is found that the level of supplier empathy exhibited by respondents is significantly influenced by supplier-dependence aversion, innovation focus, extent of co-design activity, existence of explicit partnership/cooperation objectives, and support for long-term trading relationships. Originality/value – The paper presents evidence that despite a significant but partial cooperation consensus in the academic literature, many large company practitioners appear unconvinced of the benefits of cooperation. Most analyses of buyer attitudes and behaviours are conducted by marketing researchers seeking to assist organisations-as-suppliers. This research is intended to help companies improve their performance as buyers. The paper also includes a rare attempt to identify and deal with the effects of social acceptability bias in the operations and supply management field

The impact of user-perceived e-procurement quality on system and contract compliance

PurposeWhilst e‐procurement has significant potential to reduce the purchasing costs of an organisation, the realisation of these savings requires user compliance. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which user‐perceived e‐procurement quality (EPQ) (operationalised through the dimensions of professionalism, processing, training, specification, content, and usability) influences both system and contract compliance.Design/methodology/approachUser perceptions of EPQ were examined in four UK organisations using survey data from 274 respondents.FindingsStrong evidence was found of a positive relationship between user‐perceived EPQ and both system and contract compliance. System compliance was most strongly influenced by professionalism and content dimensions, whilst contract compliance was most strongly influenced by processing, specification, and content dimensions.Research limitations/implicationsData were collected from e‐procurement users in four organisations, which may limit the extent to which findings can be generalised.Practical implicationsUser perceptions of e‐procurement provision significantly influence system and contract adoption. Practitioners should pay attention to management of different dimensions of perceived quality as they may have different effects on both contract and system compliance.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to empirically assess the relationship between user‐perceived EPQ and compliance. Its findings challenge the assumption that the monopolistic dynamics common within internal services, such as e‐procurement provision, are sufficient to ensure compliance. Dissatisfied individuals invariably find ways to circumvent mandatory systems and contracts.</jats:sec

Examining the antecedents of the Technology Acceptance Model within e-procurement

Purpose Despite the widespread organisational adoption of e-procurement systems, we continue to witness disappointing performance outcomes from their implementation. This can be explained largely by the failure of many organisations to translate the initial adoption decision, made at an organisational level, into individual-level acceptance of e-procurement by an organisation’s employees. The purpose of this paper is to examine the key antecedents of the technology acceptance model (TAM) for employees expected to use e-procurement systems in their day-to-day activities. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the authors apply and extend the TAM to examine the factors that influence the acceptance of e-procurement by individual employees. The authors’ focus is on the potential role of user-perceived e-procurement quality dimensions as the antecedents to the TAM’s cognitive mechanisms of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. The structural equation model uses the survey data collected from 139 e-procurement users at a university in the Netherlands. Findings The results confirm the core TAM relationships within an e-procurement context. Extending the TAM model to explore the antecedents, the authors find that the e-procurement quality dimensions of processing, usability, and professionalism impact the levels of individual employee e-procurement acceptance. Interestingly, the system-level dimensions (processing and usability) appear to play a greater role than the support dimensions (professionalism) in these cognitive mechanisms. Practical implications The findings indicate that the need for e-procurement training and on-going support may be lessened by initial effective design covering system navigation and system usability and by ensuring that an e-procurement system has expedient information and product flows between the buyer and supplier. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to explore the TAM and, more critically, its antecedents within an e-procurement context. It is also the first to empirically validate this extended model. Finally, by shifting the focus from the more typical organisational-level adoption to an individual employee acceptance unit of analysis, the authors provide a better understanding of how organisations can gain the most from investments in e-procurement and other similar e-supply chain management technologies. </jats:sec

From sustainability commitment to performance:The role of intra- and inter- firm collaborative capabilities in the upstream supply chain

International audienceOrganisations increasingly see sustainability as an important element of their business strategies, and the role of purchasing and supply functions is critical in translating sustainability commitment into performance. Yet, the impact of sustainability commitment on purchasing processes and routines, as well as the effect of such capabilities on performance, remains empirically under-explored. From a Resource-Based perspective, we argue that commitment to sustainability leads purchasing and supply functions to develop intra-and inter-firm collaborative capabilities, and that in turn these capabilities deliver improved performance. Based on survey data from 383 procurement executives in ten European and North American countries, we use structural equation modelling to empirically test our hypotheses. Our results provide strong support for the hypothesised links between sustainability commitment and both intra-and inter-firm collaborative capabilities; and between inter-firm collaborative capabilities and environmental and social, and cost performance. Conversely, our data do not support the hypothesised links between intra-firm collaborative capabilities and both aspects of performance. In our discussion, we reflect on both confirmatory and conflicting findings in relation to theory and practice, before examining the study's limitations and opportunities for future research

UK Third Sector grant making: A summary of research by the University of Bath

Grant-making in the UK is a big industry, worth between £3 and £4bn per annum , consisting of grant-makers who wish to fund worthy causes aligned to their funding objectives, and charities and community groups who depend on funding to help those in need. Connecting the dots between these two diverse groups is a key challenge. In 2017, a group of philanthropists, including Marcelle Speller, funded research to identify the charities’ views on the grant making process. The Smarter Grants Initiative (SGI) research identified (p.06), “a strong consensus amongst all charities – small or large, young or old, northern or southern” that better communication between applicants and funders, and a single application form were needed to improve charitable grant-giving. Looking to build on the insights from the SGI report, Marcelle Speller established a research and oversight collaboration with the University of Bath. The philanthropic funds provided as part of this relationship enabled three world-leading academics – Alistair Brandon-Jones (Professor of Operations and Supply Management), Jullian Padget (Reader in Computer Science), and Dimo Dimov (Professor of Entrepreneurship) – along with a multi-award-winning University of Bath MBA graduate, Philip Hodgson, to undertake the current research project into the grant-making process.To examine current perspectives on Third Sector grant-making, the research team undertook various forms of data collection and analysis, including analysis of the sector, analysis of current grant application forms, and analysis of a survey circulated to charities. The latter form the main thrust of this report. We have retained the anonymity of the funders and charities involved in this research, because the purpose of our work is not to cast judgement, good or bad, on organisations (which ultimately will only be counterproductive); rather it is to understand the current state of play in the sector and seek sustainable solutions for improvement.<br/

UK Third Sector grant making: A summary of research by the University of Bath

Grant-making in the UK is a big industry, worth between £3 and £4bn per annum , consisting of grant-makers who wish to fund worthy causes aligned to their funding objectives, and charities and community groups who depend on funding to help those in need. Connecting the dots between these two diverse groups is a key challenge. In 2017, a group of philanthropists, including Marcelle Speller, funded research to identify the charities’ views on the grant making process. The Smarter Grants Initiative (SGI) research identified (p.06), “a strong consensus amongst all charities – small or large, young or old, northern or southern” that better communication between applicants and funders, and a single application form were needed to improve charitable grant-giving. Looking to build on the insights from the SGI report, Marcelle Speller established a research and oversight collaboration with the University of Bath. The philanthropic funds provided as part of this relationship enabled three world-leading academics – Alistair Brandon-Jones (Professor of Operations and Supply Management), Jullian Padget (Reader in Computer Science), and Dimo Dimov (Professor of Entrepreneurship) – along with a multi-award-winning University of Bath MBA graduate, Philip Hodgson, to undertake the current research project into the grant-making process.To examine current perspectives on Third Sector grant-making, the research team undertook various forms of data collection and analysis, including analysis of the sector, analysis of current grant application forms, and analysis of a survey circulated to charities. The latter form the main thrust of this report. We have retained the anonymity of the funders and charities involved in this research, because the purpose of our work is not to cast judgement, good or bad, on organisations (which ultimately will only be counterproductive); rather it is to understand the current state of play in the sector and seek sustainable solutions for improvement.<br/

Realising the promise of value-based purchasing:experimental evidence of medical device selection

Purpose: Despite the unparalleled importance of value within healthcare, value-based models remain underutilised in the procurement of medical devices. Research is needed to understand what factors incentivise standard, low-priced device purchasing as opposed to value-adding devices with potentially higher overall health outcomes. Framed in agency theory, we examine the conditions under which different actors involved in purchasing decisions select premium-priced, value-adding medical devices over low-priced, standard medical devices. Design/methodology/approach: We conducted 2 × 2 × 2 between-subjects scenario-based vignette experiments on three UK-based online samples of managers (n = 599), medical professionals (n = 279) and purchasing managers (n = 449) with subjects randomly assigned to three treatments: (1) cost-saving incentives, (2) risk-sharing contracts and (3) stronger (versus weaker) clinical evidence. Findings: Our analysis demonstrates the harmful effects of intra-organisational cost-saving incentives on value-based purchasing (VBP) adoption; the positive impact of inter-organisational risk-sharing contracts, especially when medical professionals are involved in decision-making; and the challenge of leveraging clinical evidence to support value claims. Research limitations/implications: Our results demonstrate the need to align incentives in a context with multiple intra- and inter-organisational agency relationships at play, as well as the difficulty of reducing information asymmetry when information is not easily interpretable to all decision-makers. Overall, the intra-organisational agency factors strongly influenced the choices for the inter-organisational agency relationship. Originality/value: We contribute to VBP in healthcare by examining the role of intra- and inter-organisational agency relationships and incentives concerning VBP (non-) adoption. We also examine how the impact of such mechanisms differs between medical and purchasing (management) professionals.</p

Realising the promise of value-based purchasing:experimental evidence of medical device selection

Purpose: Despite the unparalleled importance of value within healthcare, value-based models remain underutilised in the procurement of medical devices. Research is needed to understand what factors incentivise standard, low-priced device purchasing as opposed to value-adding devices with potentially higher overall health outcomes. Framed in agency theory, we examine the conditions under which different actors involved in purchasing decisions select premium-priced, value-adding medical devices over low-priced, standard medical devices. Design/methodology/approach: We conducted 2 × 2 × 2 between-subjects scenario-based vignette experiments on three UK-based online samples of managers (n = 599), medical professionals (n = 279) and purchasing managers (n = 449) with subjects randomly assigned to three treatments: (1) cost-saving incentives, (2) risk-sharing contracts and (3) stronger (versus weaker) clinical evidence. Findings: Our analysis demonstrates the harmful effects of intra-organisational cost-saving incentives on value-based purchasing (VBP) adoption; the positive impact of inter-organisational risk-sharing contracts, especially when medical professionals are involved in decision-making; and the challenge of leveraging clinical evidence to support value claims. Research limitations/implications: Our results demonstrate the need to align incentives in a context with multiple intra- and inter-organisational agency relationships at play, as well as the difficulty of reducing information asymmetry when information is not easily interpretable to all decision-makers. Overall, the intra-organisational agency factors strongly influenced the choices for the inter-organisational agency relationship. Originality/value: We contribute to VBP in healthcare by examining the role of intra- and inter-organisational agency relationships and incentives concerning VBP (non-) adoption. We also examine how the impact of such mechanisms differs between medical and purchasing (management) professionals.</p