Exploring the link between relationship quality and loyalty: Gaining Insights into Manufacturer-Supplier Relationships

Manufacturers across industry sectors are gradually reducing their supplier base. Consequently, suppliers need an appropriate strategy to ensure preferred supplier status. It is argued, that `softer' - or more intangible - relationship factors potentially have the power to distinguish suppliers. But what are the intangible factors? How does a customer value them? Do they have an impact on the supplier selection process at all? Questions like these describe an area that has become a topic of considerable debate. Surprisingly, the relationship quality idea, although recognised as an important concept, has hardly received any empirical attention. Therefore, the research question of the present PhD project is stated as follows: In commercial customer-supplier relationships, what is relationship quality (RQ) from the customer's standpoint and how does it relate to the customer's loyalty? The researcher explored the question in three German industry sectors: 1) Engineering, 2) Electronics, and 3) Process. Studies concerned with softer aspects of business-to-business relationships as well as research dealing with supplier selection processes are typically based on preconceived views. Condensing the understanding of relationship quality to a narrow and ambiguous definition, however, would simplify a complex issue. This thesis represents the first study that has explored in-depth the relationship quality concept and its influence on the customer's loyalty. The research comprised three stages. The first stage was a telephone survey of German managers involved in supplier management. The aim was to explore key issues of supplier management such as determining the way suppliers are selected and capturing views on supplier relationships. The second stage was concerned with the exploration of the quality of supplier relationships in detail and the case study approach was the chosen research strategy. The researcher conducted plant visits that included analysis of company documents and in-depth interviews. These were guided by the repertory grid technique. It was found that manufacturers rely on three tangible measures alone when selecting suppliers - price, product quality, and delivery performance. Furthermore, manufacturers have a clear view as to what high-quality supplier relationships are made of. The third stage determined the link between the quality of relationships and the manufacturer's loyalty. The researcher employed an experimental research strategy in the form of a conjoint analysis. Participants evaluated suppliers based on the three tangible and a selection of intangible relationship quality criteria. The study uncovered to what extent the softer relationship quality factors come (unconsciously) into play in the process of selecting long-term supplier relationships

Supplier base management : the contrast between Germany and the UK

Supplier base management is an important aspect of the management of manufacturing operations, as reducing the number of suppliers – the supplier base – is a key approach in many companies including the US and the UK. By having fewer suppliers, manufacturers have more time to work closely with each remaining supplier, for instance, on improving quality and product innovation. However, is this approach being adopted in Germany as fast as it has been in the UK? This paper describes research which addresses this question and which also investigates how German companies are managing contacts with their suppliers. The study was conducted in two stages. Firstly, a survey of manufacturers in Germany and the UK identified the trends in the supplier base of companies in each country. Secondly, a follow-up telephone survey was carried through with purchasing managers at a random sample of 34 German plants to identify, for example, the advantages experienced by manufacturers, which had reduced their supplier base. The findings show that German manufacturers have not reduced their supplier base by as much as companies in the UK. The second part of the research showed that German manufacturers, which have reduced their supplier base, perceive the benefits of this. However, other companies appear to have failed to take the opportunity to gain advantages from a reduced supplier base

Patient co-creation activities in healthcare service delivery at the micro level : The influence of online access to healthcare information

The healthcare sector has undergone a number of transformations in recent years, partly due to recent advances in technology. This triggered our study to examine patients’ desire to seek health information largely driven by increased access via the Internet and the cumulative impacts on value co-creation. We employed a sequential exploratory design involving a phenomenological approach in the qualitative phase, followed by a quantitative survey design to further our understanding of the influence of technology in co-creating value in healthcare at the micro level. Advances in technology have empowered patients to be informed, which enabled them to play an active role in clinical encounters with the doctor. The findings suggest pre-encounter information search impacts positively on improved service engagement and commitment to compliance with medical instructions. It does this by shaping the nature of interactions; enhancing provider-patient orientation; and increasing their involvement in a shared decision-making process. From a theoretical perspective, our study integrates multiple research perspectives (e.g., access to information, online information seeking and knowledge creation, healthcare consultation models, etc.) and extends research on patient integration, participation, and co-creation of value. The conceptualization of value co-creation activities in this study suggests a need for service providers to adopt delivery approaches that would effectively integrate patient resources to co-create value

An examination of the influence of ICT on patient co-creation in healthcare service delivery at the micro level

This study provides an empirical perspective of the influence of online health information search on patient co-creation in healthcare service delivery at the micro level. The study primarily sheds light on the influence of information seeking on the clinical encounter process and how this cumulatively impacts on the expected service outcomes. The following research questions are addressed: 1. How do patients search for information and what motivates them to seek health related information? 2. What impact does online information seeking have on patients’ engagement in healthcare clinical encounters? 3. How is co-creation modeled in healthcare to ascertain the cumulative effects of ICT on the expected outcomes at the micro level

Examining the service engagement process in value co-creation in healthcare service delivery : a multi-level perspective

This study furthers our understanding of value co-creation, which has received little attention in the doctor-patient encounter relationship. We employed a quantitative survey method to shed light on factors driving this fundamental service aspect, followed up with a multilevel data analysis. These factors (assurance, social skills, doctor-patient orientation) from the doctor significantly strengthen the effects of the patient-level factors (trust, perceptual beliefs, interactions) on the service engagement and outcomes of the focal doctorpatient dyad. We establish the cross-level interactive effects at the group level of the focal dyad on service engagement. The findings suggest service engagement at the group level had no significant effect on patients’ perceived value. We provide new empirical insights to understand and operationalize these fundamental influencing factors of the value co-creation concept in a healthcare setting, and contribute to the value co-creation literature

Exploring the link between relationship quality and loyalty : gaining insights into manufacturer-supplier relationships

Manufacturers across industry sectors are gradually reducing their supplier base. Consequently, suppliers need an appropriate strategy to ensure preferred supplier status. It is argued, that 'softer' - or more intangible - relationship factors potentially have the power to distinguish suppliers. But what are the intangible factors? How does a customer value them? Do they have an impact on the supplier selection process at all? Questions like these describe an area that has become a topic of considerable debate. Surprisingly, the relationship quality idea, although recognised as an important concept, has hardly received any empirical attention. Therefore, the research question of the present PhD project is stated as follows: In commercial customer-supplier relationships, what is relationship quality (RQ) from the customer's standpoint and how does it relate to the customer's loyalty? The researcher explored the question in three German industry sectors: 1) Engineering, 2) Electronics, and 3) Process. Studies concerned with softer aspects of business-to-business relationships as well as research dealing with supplier selection processes are typically based on preconceived views. Condensing the understanding of relationship quality to a narrow and ambiguous definition, however, would simplify a complex issue. This thesis represents the first study that has explored in-depth the relationship quality concept and its influence on the customer's loyalty. The research comprised three stages. The first stage was a telephone survey of German managers involved in supplier management. The aim was to explore key issues of supplier management such as determining the way suppliers are selected and capturing views on supplier relationships. The second stage was concerned with the exploration of the quality of supplier relationships in detail and the case study approach was the chosen research strategy. The researcher conducted plant visits that included analysis of company documents and in-depth interviews. These were guided by the repertory grid technique. It was found that manufacturers rely on three tangible measures alone when selecting suppliers - price, product quality, and delivery performance. Furthermore, manufacturers have a clear view as to what high-quality supplier relationships are made of. The third stage determined the link between the quality of relationships and the manufacturer's loyalty. The researcher employed an experimental research strategy in the form of a conjoint analysis. Participants evaluated suppliers based on the three tangible and a selection of intangible relationship quality criteria. The study uncovered to what extent the softer relationship quality factors come (unconsciously) into play in the process of selecting long-term supplier relationships.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

What is multi-agency value co-creation anyway?

The co-creation of value is widely regarded as a collaborative process, distinct from its transactional counterpart through its shift in jurisdiction of value-determination from the provider to the beneficiary, and is based on the premise of shared understanding of what constitutes value among agents within the process (Deighton & Grayson, 1995; Palmatier, 2008; Vargo, 2009 FP 10). The resulting process, or service system (Vargo, 2009) reflects the iterative generation of norm-based understanding of value that elevates value creation to value co-creation. Some contexts are of particular complexity, for example urban regeneration projects which seek to involve end user groups in the early stages of conceptualisation set ambitious visions of collaboration and value co-creation. Such complex contexts require the service system to operate across multiple agencies and time in a version of many-to-many marketing (Gummesson & Polese, 2009; Pinho et al 2009). Reconciliation of these divisions is achieved in part through normative assimilation and a project is developed around ill-defined outcomes and is seemingly carried by great enthusiasm. The potential for calamity is high and yet there exists an ever-growing list of complex urban regeneration projects that seemingly avoid calamity and attain the elixir of collaborative success through shared vision and successful normative assimilation. The social dimensions of value co-creation are both central to service-dominant thinking, and a potential explanation of calamity avoidance in action. Edvardsson et al (2011) call for further research on how value is perceived in different social contexts. The present research seeks to classify the domains of value co-creation within socially motivated urban regeneration projects to provide empirical insight and to test Edvardsson et al (2011) first proposition, “value has a collective and inter-subjective dimension and should be understood as value-in-social-context”. In doing so we seek to build understanding in the emerging area of value in social or cultural contexts (Akaka et al 2013)

Moyo Vol. VII N 1

Durica, Paul. Editor\u27s Letter . 4 Lemke, Angelica. Paxil, Effexor, and Prozac, Oh My! Is Depression Awareness Day Going Too Far? 5. Frey, Randall. Just Be: How to Make Money Without Really Doing Anything . 6. Purks, Robert. 007, Missing The Action. Dalton\u27s Bond Reconsidered . 7. Stine, Alison. Hatching A masterpiece: Jeffery Hatcher Talks of Writing, Melville, Woody Allen, and Denison . 8. Levine, Robert. Dial DU For Murder: Cinema Student Shuffles Off The Mortal Coil, and Finds it an Acquired Taste . 13. Almirall, Sarah. Dial DU For Murder: Cinema Student Shuffles Off The Mortal Coil, and Finds it an Acquired Taste, Photographs . 13. Werne, Kirsten. Back in the Day (Mom and Pop Alums Reflect on the Sixties Social Scene) . 18. Kohlbecker, Matthew. Between a Rock and a Hard Place (A Geological Excursion Into the Wilds of Canada) . 20. Lammont, Jean. Where\u27s Waldon? Comments on the Homestead . 21. Frey, Randall. Me Experimenting with Berry Beer . 25. Frey, Randall. Shoes for Mr. Jordan . 28. Porcheddu, Fred. My Late Adolescence . 30. Combe, Clayton. The Modern Guinea Pig . 31