Apresentada atualmente como fundamental para a vantagem competitiva das empresas, a desintegração vertical de processos é uma ação geral que, uma vez adotada, leva a novas formas de relacionamento com fornecedores. Estas novas formas de relacionamento de empresas com fornecedores fazem com que cadeias de suprimento passem a ser estruturadas por meio de vínculos de cooperação contratual, em contraposição à estruturação vertical por meio de vínculos de cooperação hegemônica. Nesta dissertação estabelecem-se primeiramente os conceitos de cadeia de suprimento e de desintegração vertical de processos; analisam-se em seguida as várias formas de relacionamento contratual que uma empresa pode estabelecer com fornecedores e daí deduzem-se critérios de escolha de fornecedores em coerência com o relacionamento que a empresa irá estabelecer com os fornecedores escolhidos. Para submeter a teste esta dedução, realizou-se uma pesquisa em duas empresas do ramo químico, por meio da qual se identificaram os critérios que estas empresas adotam para escolher fornecedores e estabelecer com eles vínculos de relacionamento contratual. Os resultados da pesquisa levam à conclusão de que as empresas pesquisadas estabelecem com seus fornecedores os relacionamentos mais adequados conforme as circunstâncias, mas não ‘o relacionamento ideal’. A dissertação se encerra com proposta de um programa de estudos transdisciplinares sobre a gestão de suprimentos em geral e os relacionamentos cliente-fornecedor em especial. / Put nowadays as basic for the competitive advantage of companies, vertical disintegration of processes is a wide action that, once adopted, gives rise to new forms of relationships with suppliers. These new forms of relationships between firms and their suppliers draw to the structuring of supply chains according to links of contractual co-operation, in contrast to their vertical structuring according to links of hegemonic co-operation. In this dissertation the concepts of supply chain and of vertical disintegration of processes are settled first; following it the various forms of contractual relationship that a firm can set up with its suppliers are scrutinized and then criteria for supplier selection are inferred, consistently with the relationship the firm will set in agreement with the chosen suppliers. In order to submit this inference to a trial, a research was undertaken at two companies that carry business in the chemical branch undertaken, identifying the criteria these companies adopt for supplier selection and for setting up with the chosen ones links of contractual co-operation. The results of the research draw to the conclusion that the researched companies set up with their suppliers the most suitable relationships according to circumstances, but not ‘the ideal relationship’. The dissertation ends with the proposal of a program for transdisciplinary studies concerning supply management broadly and customer-supplier relationships in special.

This study was developed to determine whether buyers expect suppliers with whom they have strong relationships to take preventative action if external events threaten to disrupt planned transactions. The alternative is that buyers perceive the relationships to be limited to contract obligations. This dissertation employed a quantitative study design to examine the buyer's view of buyer-supplier relational capital as a tool for risk reduction in the supply chain. The study is an extension of the work linking social capital, risk management, and inter-organizational network theory. The research population was a sample of 612 U.S. buyers managing global supply chains. The results were analyzed with factor analysis to evaluate the contribution of relational expectations, contract use, and organizational risk practices on the perceived risk reduction actions of the supplier. The relationships between the identified factors were determined through the development of a path model using partial least squares analysis. The data analysis suggests that the buyer does perceive relational capital to bring about specific risk prevention action from the supplier. More importantly, buyers include in their relational expectations of the supplier the reduction of any perceived supply chain risk that could impact the buying organization. The study also reveals the widespread use of preferred supplier relationships to handle the acquisition of critical goods and services. The study adds to the supply chain body of knowledge by expanding the known scope of buyer-supplier relational expectations. The work validates previous research by Ellis & Shockley (2010), which asserts that collaborative relationships lower a firm's risk profile. It also provides empirical evidence for network theories such as the study by DeWever, Vandenbempt & Martin (2005), who find that relational capital is a potential source of assistance during times of trouble.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the activities that nascent firms undertake to improve customer attractiveness and gain collaborative commitment from strategic suppliers. Design/methodology/approach: Data from a grounded theory study consisting of 26 participants from 15 firms and a review of extant literature were used to develop a theoretical model that explains how a nascent firm increases its customer attractiveness to elicit commitment and collaboration from strategic suppliers. Findings: The authors find that social capital, born of close social ties and social history, enhances the effectiveness of a nascent firm's relationship-building practices. This counteracts a supplier's collaborative risk and consequently increases the nascent firm's customer attractiveness, thus enabling it to obtain strategic supplier collaborative commitment. Practical implications: This research helps managers by providing direction on what practices nascent firms pursue to gain strategic supplier resources and collaboration. Given the reality of resource constraints in nascent firms, it is suggested that this insight is essential to obtaining crucial external resources needed to survive and grow. Originality/value: Extant research on buyer–supplier collaboration is mostly confined to the context of mature firms and does not account for the unique inter-organizational relational challenges faced by nascent firms. This research uncovers the idiosyncrasies of supplier management in nascent firms, and elucidates on the actions that nascent firm managers take to gain supplier collaborative commitment.

<p>Despite the high expectations that researchers and practitioners had for business-to- business electronic marketplaces (EMs), EMs have not prospered, for reasons that are not well understood. Research to this point on EM adoption is very limited due to their quickly changing nature and the complexity of the issue, which involves multiple economic, political and technical factors at both macro and micro levels.</p> <p>EM adoption and buyer-supplier relationships are related. Buyer-supplier relationships play an important role in firms' EM adoption decisions since businesses are not willing to change their current relationships with trading partners to adopt EMs and their support functionalities, such as auctions, reverse auctions, transaction support, etc. The adoption of EMs also impacts buyer-supplier relationships. A framework is proposed in this thesis to investigate these mentioned issues. A buyer-supplier relationship perspective is adopted to investigate EM adoption, and both the economic and power dimensions of buyer-supplier relationships are examined. It is proposed that power can speed up the adoption of EM functionalities and that the effect of power is moderated by market structure. Some important contingencies are suggested that underlay buyer supplier relationships, such as transaction uncertainty, transaction frequency, transaction specific investment, complexity of product description and non-contractible factors, and it is proposed that they are likely to affect choice of functionality. At the same time, it is proposed that EMs can make short-term relationships efficient and long-term relationships effective. It is also proposed that the use of EMs causes varying degrees of satisfaction of participants with their online trading partners.</p> <p>A case study approach was adopted to examine the framework. A total of five EMs and some of their participating buyers and suppliers were studied to validate the propositions. Some important findings are reported. The first finding was that the classification of EMs should not be a dichotomy, but a continuum. It was also found that complexity of product description could not explain why companies choose to use different functionalities, since simple products tended to be involved in EM trading, in all the functionalities that we studied. It was confirmed that relationship efficiency and effectiveness gains were moderated by the drawbacks of EMs and the lack of participant system and process integration into EM systems. Finally, based on the results of the case studies and the confirmed propositions, a refined framework is presented and described.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

In a business to business context, the adoption of a disruptive technology can introduce great risks and benefits for all involved parties. In order to investigate the issues surrounding disruptive technology adoption, this dissertation analyzes the roles of buyers, suppliers, and employees within the adoption process. First, it is found that interorganizational trust has a positive impact on the likelihood of disruptive technology adoption, thus benefitting incumbent suppliers. Second, pre-existing interorganizational trust is shown to lead to lower quality adoption decisions from the buyers' perspective. Finally, employees are found to be less likely to accept disruptive technologies, as compared to incremental technologies. The influence of buyer, supplier, and employee relationships are complex and are explored in further detail in the following studies. / Business Administration/Marketing

Inköp av material i byggbranschen genomförs traditionellt med lägsta pris som främsta kriterium. Vidare sker inköpen ofta lokalt i respektive byggprojekt, vilket oftast leder till kortsiktiga relationer med leverantörer. Dock visar forskning på att kortsiktiga relationer inte alltid är mest gynnsamma. Det anses istället vara mer fördelaktigt att låta sig inspireras av andra industrier och upprätta långsiktiga relationer och leverantörssamarbeten som sträcker sig över flera byggprojekt. År 2014 förvärvade ett av Sveriges största byggföretag en fabrik som tillverkar prefabricerade produkter i fiber- och gråbetong. Uppköpet var en så kallad vertikal integration och en del i ett koncept för att industrialisera bostadsbyggandet. Förvärvet innebar inte bara ett upprättande av en långsiktig relation utan således även en integration av en leverantör i företagets värdekedja.  Syftet med det här examensarbetet är att bättre förstå hur en sådan intern långsiktig leverantörsrelation fungerar i byggbranschen. Syftet med studien är även att utveckla kunskap och komma med förbättringsförslag kring hur en långsiktig intern affärsrelation kan utvecklas.  Studien anses som kvalitativ och grundar sig på en litteraturstudie, semi-strukturerade intervjuer, interna dokument, platsbesök och observationer. En abduktiv forskningsansats har använts då teori och empiri varvats längs studiens gång. Undersökningen kan även ses som explorativ då slutmålet från början inte var känt.     Studien påvisar och konfirmerar att en intern långsiktig relation är komplex men fördelaktig då det bland annat möjliggör en ökad kontroll och utveckling av både den levererade produkten och relationen. Vidare visar studien att den levererade produktens komplexitet har stor betydelse. Undersökningen åskådliggör även att en kombination av ett externt och internt förhållningssätt till en relation kan vara mest fördelaktigt trots att leverantören definitionsmässigt är intern. Likväl som i externa långsiktiga relationer är även begrepp såsom tillit, engagemang, förväntningar och beroende centrala i interna relationer, men bör utifrån förutsättningarna ses på ett annat sätt. Byggbranschens projektorientering och traditionsenlighet visar sig också påverka en implementering av långsiktiga interna relationer. Vidare förekommer andra mötesforum och socialiseringsprocesser tillskillnad mot externa kortsiktiga relationer. Då den undersökta relationen är en del i ett större koncept visar det sig även möjliggöra förekomsten av fler än två parter, vilket får en påverkan på beslutsfattandet i relationen.     För att utveckla relationen anses tidigare nämnda begrepp som tillit, förväntningar, engagemang, kommunikation, beslutsfattande och beroende vara något som man tankemässigt bör ha med sig. Vidare bör beställare och leverantör tillsammans anpassa sig till varandras processer och arbetsstrukturer. Gemensamma långsiktiga mål bör även formuleras.  För att utveckla en långsiktig intern relation bör även institutionaliseringens fördelar utnyttjas. Detta innebär att kontaktmönster, kommunikationsverktyg och kontaktvägar bör vänjas in och utvecklas över tid. För att engagera och motivera individerna till att vara delaktiga i relationen rekommenderas även nya typer av mötesforum som komplement till de redan existerande. / Purchasing of material in the construction industry is traditionally carried out with lowest price as main criteria. In addition, purchasing often occurs separately in each project, which usually ends up with short-term relationships with suppliers. However, research shows that that short-term relationships are not always the most advantageous. It is considered as more advantageous to obtain inspiration from diverse industries and establish long-term relationships with suppliers that lasts over numerous projects.  In 2014 one of Sweden’s largest construction companies acquired a manufacturer that produces prefabricated concrete elements. The acquisition was a vertical integration and a part of an industrialized house building concept. Hence, the acquisition did not only establish a long-term relationship, it also integrated a supplier in the company’s supply chain.  The purpose with this thesis is to clarify and understand how an intra-organizational long-term supplier relationship is managed in the construction industry. The purpose is also to contribute with knowledge in how to develop such a relationship.  The study is considered as qualitative and is based on literature studies, semi-structured interviews, internal documents, site visits, and personal impressions from meetings. An abductive research approach has been conducted since empirics and theory have been alternated during the study. The survey can also be identified as an explorative study since there was not a clear objective when the study was initiated.  The study reveals and confirms that an internal long-term relationship is complex but advantageous. The long-term focus enables an increased control and development of the product as well as the relationship. The study also illustrated that a combination of an external and internal approach to the relationship is most advantageous, even though the relationship is defined as intra-organizational. In inter-organizational relationships, concepts such as trust, commitment, expectations, and dependence seems to be important in intra-organizational relationships as well, but should be viewed in a different way. The strong project orientation and traditionalism in the construction industry is also considered to affect an internal long-term relationship. Furthermore, in contrast to inter-organizational short-term relationships, other kinds of meeting forums and socialization processes exists. Since the studied relationship is part of a larger concept, more than two parties seem to be involved in the relationship. This, among other things, affect the decision-making process in the relationship.  To develop the relationship, stated concepts such as trust, expectation, commitment, communication, decision-making and dependence should be kept in mind. Furthermore, buyer and supplier should try to adapt to each other’s processes and work structures. To develop a long-term internal relationship, the benefits of institutionalization should also be used, enabling buyer and suppliers to develop and familiarize roles, communication tools and contact routes. To engage and motivate individuals to participate in the relationship, new types of meeting forums are also recommended to complement the ones that already exist.

<p>Background: The literature concerning M&A has thus far concentrated on the merging companies, and on what kind of effects an acquisition has on these companies. The effects on the involved companies´ (customers and) suppliers have largely been ignored in the M & A literature. </p><p>Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse how the suppliers relationships to the aquired company are influenced by an acquisition and how the suppliers handle the following situation. Method: The paper has been carried out in the form of a case-study and we have interviewed some suppliers to the automotive industry. </p><p>Results: The full effect on the suppliers relationships to Volvo has not been seen yet, due to the fact that only two years has passed since the acquisition and that the current products have a lifecycle of 3-5 years. A number of changes have been discovered, but we don't consider theese tendencies to be results of the acquisition. However have their penetration strengthens through the acquisition.</p>

Background: The literature concerning M&amp;A has thus far concentrated on the merging companies, and on what kind of effects an acquisition has on these companies. The effects on the involved companies´ (customers and) suppliers have largely been ignored in the M &amp; A literature. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse how the suppliers relationships to the aquired company are influenced by an acquisition and how the suppliers handle the following situation. Method: The paper has been carried out in the form of a case-study and we have interviewed some suppliers to the automotive industry. Results: The full effect on the suppliers relationships to Volvo has not been seen yet, due to the fact that only two years has passed since the acquisition and that the current products have a lifecycle of 3-5 years. A number of changes have been discovered, but we don't consider theese tendencies to be results of the acquisition. However have their penetration strengthens through the acquisition.

<p>Företag verkar i en omvärld med snabb teknisk utveckling. Ett led i denna utveckling är att automatisera inköpsprocessen med olika IT lösningar. Nya koncept och elektroniska lösningar efterfrågas konstant av företagen för att kunna uppnå mer effektivitet i inköpsprocessen, känt som E-procurement management. Detta koncept har blivit allmänt utbrett i fordonsindustrin, vilket har sin orsak i att en bil är en system produkt med 20 000 beståndsdelar och där av många transaktioner vid inköp av dessa delar. För att kunna automatisera inköpsprocessen måste företaget undersöka och analysera vilka nya tekniska lösningar och vilka elektroniska hjälpmedel som finns. Med hänsyn till detta avser denna studie att fokusera på att analysera hur en inköpsprocess i fordonsindustrin kan automatiseras. Författarna har valt att titta närmare på tre olika elektroniska hjälpmedel. Därtill kommer studien innehålla att analysera vilken inverkan en viss produkt och leverantörs typ har på val av elektroniska lösningar. En annan väsentlig fråga som också kommer att diksuteras är hur vid en automatisering av inköpsprocessen påverkar leverantörsrelationen. Dessa frågor kommer att innebära att studera både köparen´s och säljaren´s perspektiv.</p><p>Syftet med denna uppsats är att analysera hur en inköpsprocess i strategiska relationer i bilindustrin kan automatiseras, med hänsyn tagen till vilken typ av produkt och leverantör beträffande val elektroniska hjälpmedel. Vi kommer också studera den eventuella påverkan på kund - leverantör förhållandet som en automatisering kan leda till. För studien har en kvalitativ metod använts, detta för att få en mer precis och djupare kunskap i hur kund- leverantör relationen påverkas vid en automatisering. Författarna har genomfört intervjuer hos ett stort biltillverknings företag i Sverige, och med tre av deras leverantörer.</p><p>Studien visade på att där finns ett flertal områden i inköpsprocessen som kan effektivieras. Två drivare har konstaterats som möjliga lösningar : Covisint och web-EDI. Vidare är det möjligt att dra slutsatsen att en automatisering av inköpsprocessen påverkar leverantörsrelationen. Författarna har dragit slutsatsen att företag inte bör rusa in i en automatisering, istället måste uppmärksamheten riktas till frågan om i vilken grad av automatisering som kan tillåtas utan att det får en negativ inverkan på relationen. Vidare bör företaget grundligt studera vilken elektronisk lösning som är mest passande, därtill med hänsyn till vilken typ av produkt och leverantör det handlar om.</p> / <p>Companies operate in a changing world with rapid technological development. Automation of the purchasing process in companies by means of electronic solutions is in line with this development. Companies constantly demand new concepts and electronic solutions in order to make the purchasing process more efficient, known as E-procurement management. This concept has become widespread in the automotive industry owing to that a car is a system product that on average consists of 20 000 parts, and consequently many transactions when purchasing these products. However, to be able to automate the purchasing process the company has to explore and analyze what new technology solutions there are. With regard to this, the study will focus to analyze how a purchasing process in the automotive industry can be automated. The authors have chosen to look deeper into three different electronic solutions. Thereto the study will examine what impact a certain type of product and supplier has concerning electronic solution. Additionally, how the buyer-supplier relationship is affected of automation is a fundamental question when considering automation, and will therefore be discussed in the study. These questions will concern to study both the buyer’s and the supplier’s perspective.</p><p>The purpose of this thesis is to analyse how a purchasing process can be automated in strategic relationships in the automotive industry, thereto taking product and supplier type into consideration concerning electronic solutions. We will also study the possible effect on the buyer-supplier relationship of automation. A qualitative method has been employed, in order to get a more precise and deep knowledge of the subject. The authors have conducted interviews with respondents working at a large car manufacturing company in Sweden, and with three suppliers to this company.</p><p>The study found that there are several areas in the purchasing process that still can be more efficient. Two technological drivers have been outlined as potential solutions: Covisint and web-EDI. Moreover, it is possible to conclude that an automation of a purchasing process will have an effect on the buyer-supplier relationship. The authors have drawn the conclusion that companies should not rush into things such as an automation. Much attention should be paid to the question what degree of an automation that can be allowed before it will have a negative effect on the relationship. Moreover, they should thoroughly study on what electronic solution is most suitable, thereto with consideration to what type of product and supplier one is dealing with.</p>

During the last decades, the competition changed from taking place between individual companies to take place between supply chains. As a natural consequence, the importance of buyer-supplier relationships (BSRs) increased since both actors need to work together (Dyer &amp; Singh, 1998; Kannan &amp; Choon Tan, 2006). During a seminar provided by the Swedish trade and employers’ association Trä- och Möbelföretagen (TMF), companies within the Swedish furniture industry revealed the BSR management to be deficient from time to time, where price focus has increased from the producer side. Whereas the suppliers stressed the disinterest to compete on price, the authors formulated the purpose of this thesis as: To investigate how the furniture industry can further develop the management of BSRs for the benefit of both producers and suppliers within the industry segment. To fulfill the purpose, the authors have conducted an observation, interviews and distributed a survey to both producers and suppliers of the studied industry segment, design- and office furniture. The aim was to holistically understand how the BSRs are currently managed, and from the current state provide improvement suggestions. The analysis of the collected data highlights that the problems perceived by the companies are not as wide-ranging as first indicated, but there are rather small-scale changes that need to be done in order to improve the BSR management. The suggested improvements that need to be considered were drafted from earlier theories and merged into a single BSR framework. However, a BSR development model, suggesting that the furniture industry could beneficially manage the BSRs more strategically, also accompanies the BSR framework. The authors conclude that in order for companies to manage BSRs more strategically, the main focus needs to shift from price towards flexibility, long-term commitment and co-development. Only by shifting focus from transactional BSRs towards collaborative BSRs, the authors argue the furniture industry can realize the domestic BSRs’ full potential.