The relationship between organizations and their customers is a critical issue when establishing a long-term relationship. It is difficult for organizations to really manage and main-tain the relationship with their customers as some organizations fail to build up relationships. The process of learning and adapting to other customers is costly and time intensive. This is an issue that needs to be taken into consideration. Another aspect that needs to be looked at is the way organizations can set up a plan to build a competitive advantage. With this, most organizations do tend to loose their customers due to the inability to use their resources well and also managing them effectively. This paper examines the relationship between the supplier and the customer and the possibilities of managing and maintaining the customer relationship. Qualitative analysis is used in this paper since it is the appropriate method to meet our purpose. There were two companies interviewed from the logistic industry and mechanical industry. Finally, our result in this paper indicates that in order to maintain customers, it is vital for organizations to meet their needs. As a result, satisfaction and loyalty is the ultimate goal for organization to maintain their customers. This is the way of avoiding key and non-key customers from leaving and also strengthening the relationship.

Både som land och som fenomen är Kina ett synnerligen aktuellt ämne, inte bara för Sverige utan för hela världen. Sedan början av 2003 har mer än 154 svenska företag etablerat verksamhet i Kina, inom antingen tillverkning, inköp eller försäljning. De små och medelstora företagen följer nu efter de stora multinationella till Kina. Syftet med denna uppsats är att studera och analysera vilka kriterier företagen använder i sitt val av leverantörer eller samarbetspartners i Kina. Syftet är vidare att studera interaktionsprocessen mellan köparen och leverantören gällande kvalitetsproblem relaterade till såväl produktionsprocessen som produkten och leveransen av densamma. Att definiera kvalitet är inte enkelt då kvalitet inte längre bara handlar om objektiv statistik. Kvalitet bör vara en naturlig del av både företagets affärsprocesser och deras relationer med leverantörer och kunder. Idag är därför mer subjektiva och mjuka värden relaterade till kundens uppfattning, deras behov och deras förväntningar naturliga delar av det kvalitativa arbetet. Det kan vara svårt att överföra kundens uppfattningar, behov och förväntningar till leverantörerna. Interaktionsprocessen mellan kund och leverantör är därför långt ifrån enkel och rak, utan beror till stor del på de människor som är involverade i processen. Sammanlagt beskrivs och analyseras fem olika fall i studien. I samband med dessa har ett antal företag valts ut och nyckelpersoner inblandade i interaktionsprocessen med de kinesiska leverantörerna har intervjuats. Företagen har medvetet selekterats så att de representerar heterogena förhållanden gällande produkt, erfarenhet med affärer av Kina och företagsstorlek. Utifrån analysen av de empiriska data som samlats in står det klart att merparten av de kvalitetsproblem som existerar härrör till kommunikationen mellan kunden och leverantören. Det finns inga egentliga bevis vare sig för dålig eller låg kvalitet i något av fallen. Kvalitet är viktigt för dem alla, men kunden får oftast levererat det han har frågat efter. De kulturella skillnaderna gör att specifikationer, krav och behov hela tiden måste upprepas för att upprätthålla en hög kvalitativ nivå. För att utveckla goda relationer med de kinesiska leverantörerna är det viktigt att vara närvarande. Det som är taget för givet i Sverige är inte taget för givet i Kina och vice versa och det är därför viktigt att vara tydlig och att upprepa allt om och om igen. Det är viktigt att undvika att de kinesiska leverantörerna förlorar ansiktet och det är därför viktigt att de svenska företagen utvecklar en förmåga att läsa mellan raderna, framförallt som kinesiska leverantörer inte är lika uppriktiga och raka i sin kommunikation. / China as country and phenomenon is a topic of great impact to the entire world society. As many as 154 Swedish companies have established business activities either within manufacturing, sourcing or sales in China since the beginning of 2003. The small and mediumsized companies are now following the larger MNEs to China. The purpose of this thesis is to study and analyse which criteria are used in the selection of suppliers or partners in China. The purpose is further to study the interaction process in between the Swedish buyer and the Chinese supplier regarding quality issues and -problems related to the manufacturing process and product as well as the delivery of the products. Defining quality is not easy as quality no longer relies only on objective and functional statistics, but should be incorporated into the business processes. More subjective parameters related to the perceptions of the customers and their needs and expectations are involved and of importance. Such perceptions and needs can be difficult to transfer in between the buyer and the supplier. The interaction in between is far from a straightforward process and as such it depends and relies a lot on the people involved in the process. Representing a total of five different cases a number of companies and respondents directly involved in the interaction process with the Chinese suppliers were purposefully selected and interviewed. The sampling aimed at companies repre-senting heterogeneity regarding the three factors of products, experience of deal-ing with China and size of the company. From the analysis of the empirical findings it is clear that it is all a question about communication. There is no evidence of any low or bad quality in any of the cases. The buyer will be delivered what he asks the supplier to deliver. The cul-tural web including communication and language differs between Sweden and China. In order to develop good relations with the suppliers the presence is of great importance. It is important for the Swedish company to continuously repeat their specifications, demands and needs over and over again in order to maintain a high level of quality on their products. What is taken for granted by Swedish buyers is not taken for granted by the Chinese suppliers and it is important for the buyer to be very clear in both communication and specification, though without risking the Chinese supplier to loose face. Adapting an ability to read between the lines is necessary for the buyer as Chinese suppliers are referred to as not being as outspoken as Swedish suppliers.

This dissertation consists of two parts. The first part isabout“Managing buyer-supplier relationships in autoproduction chains ­ a case study of Volvo and its supplierrelationship management”. The second part is about“Managing buyer-supplier relationships in telecom supplychains ­ a case study of Ericsson and its supplierrelationship models in different business situations”. The scope of this study is restricted to supply chains inautomotive and telecommunication industries, where the successof supply processes is dependent on how well a company managesits supply chain with horizontal or vertical integration tofulfill customer demands. The research is carried out as a number of case studies ofbuyer-supplier relationship management in the auto and telecomsupply chains. The aim was to analyze how a company fulfillscustomer demand in the best way through different supplierrelationships, and how and why alternative relationship typesare used in reality. The study is based on the relationship between two focalcompanies and their suppliers. Case study methodology is used,and data is collected from selected cases through interviewsand observations. Analysis is carried out within and acrosscases. From the case interpretation and analysis, conclusionsare drawn as to which strategic level of buyer-supplierrelationship is appropriate for different situations. As a result and in conclusion, a static supplychain-reaction model is built at the end of the Part I. Thestatic model describes the importance of collaborativebuyer-supplier relationships in the product developmentprocess. Based on this model, it is concluded in Part II thatthe most suitable supplier relationship is different fordifferent products. For the same product, the most appropriatebuyer-supplier relationship varies with the product’s lifecycle timing. Therefore, two dynamic buyer-supplierrelationship models under different business conditions and indifferent product life-cycle periods are created in Part II.The models apply to dynamic processes, not to interactingcompany organizations in general. The study increases the knowledge regarding selection of themost appropriate supplier relationships in different businesssituations. Key words:buyer-supplier relationship, sourcingstrategy, supply chain management / <p>Qc 20130827</p>

This thesis describes how lean procurement can be implemented in a medium sized enterprise, focusing on opportunities in the process, methods to achieve the opportunities, and hinders that need to be handled. A literature study has been conducted to identify these aspects, organized by six implied implementation stages of lean procurement. To challenge the findings, an empirical study was conducted at Isaberg Rapid, in order to confirm or discard identified important concepts. In order to conduct a credible study, the choice of a qualitative method has been chosen to contribute to the studied area, with a main emphasis of providing an insider’s view of the case company by semi- and unstructured interview questions. Further, an abductive research process can explain the work order, where an iterative approach has been used between theoretical and empirical studies to create an understanding of the studied area. Isaberg Rapid as a case company was chosen because of their successful lean work and their current aim of implementing lean procurement. A starting point for the study was a theoretical review to decide how and what data that needed to be collected. This led to the choice of interviews, documents analysis and observations at the case company, where interviews were the main contributor with participants connected to lean and procurement. Collected data was interpreted and conceptualized, in order to function as a base for the analysis, together with the theoretical study. The theoretical study describes the opportunities, methods and hinders of lean procurement in the implied implementation stages of Internal lean, Understanding the supply, Establish lean suppliers, Efficient inbound logistics, Joint improvements and development, and finally An extended enterprise. The analysis compares these findings with the empirical study, to depict main concepts of lean procurement, related to medium sized enterprises. The study shows the importance of creating a lean culture that is manifested internally, that can support the development of the procurement function, and further motivate and influence suppliers to adapt the lean work. Main opportunities identified in the study are increased inventory turnover, capable suppliers and reduced waste in the supply chain. Important methods to enable the opportunities are assigned lean roles, education and training, kaizen events, kanbans, milk runs and knowledge sharing. Main hinders for the methods and opportunities are resistance, commitment and trust, resources, power circumstances, and distant suppliers.

Globalization and associated economic changes have led to a lot of opportunities and hazards that companies are facing. Especially the increased role of customer demands and the interconnected shift from seller markets to buyer markets were the driving factors and incentives for the research work of this Master Thesis. One quite new strategy that companies tend to apply in order to meet the occurring challenges is supplier development. By reason of the actuality of this topic, it was of high worth to investigate, especially when it comes to the lack of theoretical findings about challenges, difficulties and problems. Therefore, the main objective of this thesis was to find out which problems can occur in the process of supplier development, and how they can be solved. Hereby, the focus was laid on the furniture retail industry, as it is one of the fastest growing sectors in Sweden. For the empirical research the retailers Ikea and Mio were selected, because they play a very important role within the Swedish furniture retail industry due to the fact that they are the two biggest when it comes to market shares. Furthermore, the suppliers Bitc Möbel AB, Lundbergs Möbler and AB Wilo were chosen in order to examine their dyadic relationship with Mio. For the purpose of investigating the supplier development within the dyadic relationship of Ikea and its supplier, Bodilsen a/s was interviewed. Almost during the whole research of this thesis a lack of knowledge occurred. It was noticed that only few references exist regarding this topic, therefore the objective of this thesis was to attach importance to this issue, illustrate further problem areas and possible solutions. Hereby, a conceptual model was created that served as a basis for the empirical part. After collecting empirical data, a close analysis was accomplished. In the end, suggestions for companies to improve their supplier development were made and a final model was generated in order to illustrate the results of the study. The Swedish furniture retail industry is exposed to a strong price pressure and stress of competition, which makes it necessary to improve companies’ performance in order to withstand the competition and to succeed in the end. Its proximity to end customers makes a continuous product development necessary, which can only be successful when working closely together with manufacturers. Therefore, deploying supplier development is a recommendable strategy, but one should be aware of challenges that can occur. The results of this thesis provide support for the improvement of supplier development, especially when it comes to problem areas and correspondent solutions within dyadic relationships. Supplier development is an up-to-date topic and plays a crucial role within the fast changing business environment. It was chosen to raise the reader’s interest and to give an insight into current economic developments. The Swedish furniture retail industry turned out to be very interesting for the topic of this Master Thesis. Finally, there is nothing more to say than: ‘Enjoy the trip through the Swedish furniture industry!’ / Research questions: Which are the potential problem areas of Supplier Development within dyadic relationships in the Swedish furniture retail industry? Which possible solutions for these problem areas can be found in order to improve Supplier Development?

Abstract When multinational enterprise invested into the worldwide with its huge economic scale, well-organized structure and excellent skill of Supply Chain Management were used as competed resources in the global economic environment. It helps business growing and profit increasing. However, a capable skill of Supply Chain Management relay on a precise Procurement Management System, especially the ability of evaluation and management. The purposes of this study are to discover the key factors for the multinational enterprise evaluated suppliers, summarize those key factors and offer a bunch mark as reference for the Taiwanese enterprise. To be a top supplier of those multinational enterprise not only bring the rich profit, strong business foundation and fast growing, but also got a very good learning chance to become a multinational enterprise. This research discovered several important factors when a multinational enterprise evaluated their suppliers; 1.Technical Skill - Suppliers own a Research and Development team. 2. Quality - Certifications is necessary. 3. Feed Back and Service - Customer requirements response within 24 hours. 4. Delivery - Reduce the lead-time of delivery products. 5. Cost - Reduce the cost from the product re-design. 6. Environment Protection - Products contain environment protection concept. 7. Business Management - Supply the products steadily. 8. Globalization - Globalization of supply services. 9. Politics and Culture - Steady politics and diligent people.

<p>The concept of outsourcing is a hot topic even today. The area of IT has received more attention when compared to other areas of outsourcing. Many organizations started outsourcing IT functions to other countries to access international markets. There lie many risks that are overlooked by these organizations. These risks need to be properly assessed and managed. This research investigates the potential risks perceived to be most relevant in the process of IT outsourcing from the customers point of view and how organizations can eliminate these risks by providing measures to assess risks. Literature analysis is the methodology used for conducting this research as it is assumed to cover all aspects of risks that lie in global IT outsourcing process.</p>

<p>The role of purchasing in supply chain management has received and continues to receive increasing attention as the years go by. Purchasing enhances efficiency and competitiveness among other benefits but to realize these benefits it is imperative to select and maintain competent suppliers. However, many factors affect a firm’s ability to choose the right supplier. Uncertainty is an issue that has received great attention. It affects all functions of a company consequently affecting purchasing and supplier selection. This thesis seeks to provide an understanding of the supplier selection process and criteria under circumstances of uncertainty in the case where the potential supplier under evaluation is a newly created company. The authors try to find out if uncertainty varies with firm’s age and tested the suitability of existing criteria on the selection of newly created firms. They also sought ways by which uncertainty can be reduced.One of the realisations of this thesis is that there is a relationship between the characteristics or problems faced by new firms and uncertainty. Uncertainties created by new firms include lack of trust and commitment, inadequate finance, poor quality, unreliable delivery times, inadequate logistic technological capabilities. No new types or sources of uncertainty were discovered however, it was found that uncertainty was certainly higher when working with new firms. The criteria delivery, quality, cost/price, financial position and communication and technology were recognized as the commonly used criteria a fact confirmed from empirical results as well as in previous literature. However other criteria such as ISO certification, reliability, credibility, good references and product development were also identified. These criteria had existed before but did not receive the same attention in previous studies. This show that focus is shifting from solely relying on quantitative factors to include qualitative criteria. The study identified that some methods of minimising uncertainty could include detailed financial analyses, site visit, intensive verification, close relationships, ISO certification, good references and recommendations. It is worth noting that uncertainty cannot be entirely eliminated in all situations</p>

<p>The relationship between organizations and their customers is a critical issue when establishing a long-term relationship. It is difficult for organizations to really manage and main-tain the relationship with their customers as some organizations fail to build up relationships.</p><p>The process of learning and adapting to other customers is costly and time intensive. This is an issue that needs to be taken into consideration. Another aspect that needs to be looked at is the way organizations can set up a plan to build a competitive advantage. With this, most organizations do tend to loose their customers due to the inability to use their resources well and also managing them effectively.</p><p>This paper examines the relationship between the supplier and the customer and the possibilities of managing and maintaining the customer relationship.</p><p>Qualitative analysis is used in this paper since it is the appropriate method to meet our purpose. There were two companies interviewed from the logistic industry and mechanical industry.</p><p>Finally, our result in this paper indicates that in order to maintain customers, it is vital for organizations to meet their needs. As a result, satisfaction and loyalty is the ultimate goal for organization to maintain their customers. This is the way of avoiding key and non-key customers from leaving and also strengthening the relationship.</p>

<p>Både som land och som fenomen är Kina ett synnerligen aktuellt ämne, inte bara för Sverige utan för hela världen. Sedan början av 2003 har mer än 154 svenska företag etablerat verksamhet i Kina, inom antingen tillverkning, inköp eller försäljning. De små och medelstora företagen följer nu efter de stora multinationella till Kina.</p><p>Syftet med denna uppsats är att studera och analysera vilka kriterier företagen använder i sitt val av leverantörer eller samarbetspartners i Kina. Syftet är vidare att studera interaktionsprocessen mellan köparen och leverantören gällande kvalitetsproblem relaterade till såväl produktionsprocessen som produkten och leveransen av densamma. Att definiera kvalitet är inte enkelt då kvalitet inte längre bara handlar om objektiv statistik. Kvalitet bör vara en naturlig del av både företagets affärsprocesser och deras relationer med leverantörer och kunder. Idag är därför mer subjektiva och mjuka värden relaterade till kundens uppfattning, deras behov och deras förväntningar naturliga delar av det kvalitativa arbetet. Det kan vara svårt att överföra kundens uppfattningar, behov och förväntningar till leverantörerna. Interaktionsprocessen mellan kund och leverantör är därför långt ifrån enkel och rak, utan beror till stor del på de människor som är involverade i processen.</p><p>Sammanlagt beskrivs och analyseras fem olika fall i studien. I samband med dessa har ett antal företag valts ut och nyckelpersoner inblandade i interaktionsprocessen med de kinesiska leverantörerna har intervjuats. Företagen har medvetet selekterats så att de representerar heterogena förhållanden gällande produkt, erfarenhet med affärer av Kina och företagsstorlek.</p><p>Utifrån analysen av de empiriska data som samlats in står det klart att merparten av de kvalitetsproblem som existerar härrör till kommunikationen mellan kunden och leverantören. Det finns inga egentliga bevis vare sig för dålig eller låg kvalitet i något av fallen. Kvalitet är viktigt för dem alla, men kunden får oftast levererat det han har frågat efter. De kulturella skillnaderna gör att specifikationer, krav och behov hela tiden måste upprepas för att upprätthålla en hög kvalitativ nivå. För att utveckla goda relationer med de kinesiska leverantörerna är det viktigt att vara närvarande. Det som är taget för givet i Sverige är inte taget för givet i Kina och vice versa och det är därför viktigt att vara tydlig och att upprepa allt om och om igen. Det är viktigt att undvika att de kinesiska leverantörerna förlorar ansiktet och det är därför viktigt att de svenska företagen utvecklar en förmåga att läsa mellan raderna, framförallt som kinesiska leverantörer inte är lika uppriktiga och raka i sin kommunikation.</p> / <p>China as country and phenomenon is a topic of great impact to the entire world society. As many as 154 Swedish companies have established business activities either within manufacturing, sourcing or sales in China since the beginning of 2003. The small and mediumsized companies are now following the larger MNEs to China.</p><p>The purpose of this thesis is to study and analyse which criteria are used in the selection of suppliers or partners in China. The purpose is further to study the interaction process in between the Swedish buyer and the Chinese supplier regarding quality issues and -problems related to the manufacturing process and product as well as the delivery of the products. Defining quality is not easy as quality no longer relies only on objective and functional statistics, but should be incorporated into the business processes. More subjective parameters related to the perceptions of the customers and their needs and expectations are involved and of importance. Such perceptions and needs can be difficult to transfer in between the buyer and the supplier. The interaction in between is far from a straightforward process and as such it depends and relies a lot on the people involved in the process.</p><p>Representing a total of five different cases a number of companies and respondents directly involved in the interaction process with the Chinese suppliers were purposefully selected and interviewed. The sampling aimed at companies repre-senting heterogeneity regarding the three factors of products, experience of deal-ing with China and size of the company.</p><p>From the analysis of the empirical findings it is clear that it is all a question about communication. There is no evidence of any low or bad quality in any of the cases. The buyer will be delivered what he asks the supplier to deliver. The cul-tural web including communication and language differs between Sweden and China. In order to develop good relations with the suppliers the presence is of great importance. It is important for the Swedish company to continuously repeat their specifications, demands and needs over and over again in order to maintain a high level of quality on their products. What is taken for granted by Swedish buyers is not taken for granted by the Chinese suppliers and it is important for the buyer to be very clear in both communication and specification, though without risking the Chinese supplier to loose face. Adapting an ability to read between the lines is necessary for the buyer as Chinese suppliers are referred to as not being as outspoken as Swedish suppliers.</p>