Business-to-business relationships within sustained monopolies, such as those within Defence Procurement, have received limited attention by Management Researchers. This is unusual because under these market circumstances typically there appear to be few incentives to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes despite their strategic policy importance. The purpose of this thesis is therefore, to determine the influential relationship factors between the UK Ministry of Defence and its Industrial partners within a predominantly monopolistic Defence Procurement business. The approach adopted for this research project is exploratory and inter-subject area. It uses quantitative and supportive qualitative data to examine the problem through an economic model using Supply Chain Management, Relationship Marketing and Transaction Cost Economics. A self-selected census of 54 business relationships is carried out from both the buyer and supplier perspectives through staff questionnaires and team leader semi-structured interviews. The findings from this research show, contrary to the expectation of the theoretical model, a positive relationship success situation with a spectrum of both positive and negative behavioural factors present. However, a significant adversarial influence is a suite of issues that are endemic to the business in question such as old products, obsolescence, staff and organisational upheavals, poor end-customer visibility and lack of investment in modern procedures and systems. Within the monopoly environment these accentuate managers’ frustrations due to lack of freedom of action. The primary contribution of this research is therefore, an increased understanding of the business-to-business relationship dynamics within long-term, closely coupled, collaborative, business-to-business arrangements as exemplified by UK Defence and the results are likely to be of interest to both academics and managers.

The purpose of this study is to produce new knowledge concerning the perceived effects of blockchain technology on transaction costs within supply chains handling physical goods through the created and hypothetical TCE-matrix. The study followed an abductive research approach where initial found facts were matched against an appropriate theory in order to be put in context and understood. The study’s data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with experts who were active within the research area and chosen based on their practical experience. The results imply that blockchain holds the possibility to affect five out of nine cells within the TCE-matrix out of the experts’ perception, through its increased trust and transparency between its supply chain actors within the network and the enhanced traceability of physical goods. This study further highlights practical implications concerning the technology’s adoption in practice. It is concluded that the blockchain is perceived to have an effect on transaction costs activities out of the TCE-matrix, which is found to be partly applicable when assessing the blockchains potential effect on transaction cost activities in a general manner, where further studies should apply the matrix in the assessment of one specific transaction to take full advantage of the matrix’ potential.

The U.S. is experiencing the worst recession since the Great Depression. All levels of government have been hit really hard, this is especially apparent at the local level since services provided at the local level are woven into people’s daily life. Thus, how to “do more with less” is more urgent than ever before. The use of privatization came to surface as a sound solution for deficit-plagued governments as it is thought to be more cost effective and outperform the public sector in most cases. This dissertation contains two empirical chapters that examine determinants of privatization and specify the conditions under which it is optimal to buy and under which it is optimal to produce in-house. Chapter two explores determinants that contribute to the use of privatization at the local level in the U.S. This chapter incorporates spatial technique to perform the analysis, which is a different approach from much of the literature. Empirical results indicate that a local government’s sourcing decision is affected by its nearby local jurisdictions. External stakeholders’ involvement contributes to the use of outsourcing, whereas having a limited supply of service providers impedes it. Chapter three applies a transaction cost economics (TCE) framework complemented with a revenue volatility measure to disentangle the mechanisms that drive public services’ outsourcing decisions. Results suggest that, in general, services with higher asset specificity and higher contract management difficulty are less likely to be outsourced, and a robust and competitive market facilitates the use of outsourcing.

Esta tese questiona a orientação liberal de que a privatização é a melhor maneira para se encontrar a eficiência na entrega de serviços públicos. A maior parte dos serviços públicos não soberanos, de acordo com a visão liberal, deve ser privatizada ou terceirizada. A teoria da Economia dos Custos de Transação foi utilizada para verificar se, de fato, essa afirmação seria possível, em cenários cuja eficiência de mercado é questionável, ou seja, em territórios de fronteira, vizinhos na Argentina e no Brasil. O estudo procura validar o uso da matriz analítica dos custos de transação, desenvolvida por Oliver Williamson, para transações do setor privado, em serviços públicos de atenção primária à saúde. A resposta à pergunta se a hipótese discriminante de alinhamento pode ser usada para se explicar, comparativamente, a eficiência da atenção primária em dois territórios distintos é o foco da tese. A análise da atenção primária à saúde e suas características demonstrou que esses serviços apresentam alta especificidade nos territórios estudados e que dificilmente serão mediados por uma plataforma de governança de mercado. As diferenças na evolução institucional nos dois contextos resultaram em modos diferentes de governança. De modo comparado, o maior desalinhamento verificado na Argentina corresponde ao indicador de mortalidade infantil menos eficiente em contraste com o caso brasileiro, de modo consistente com a teoria. Entretanto, a validação desse achado é limitada pela amostra de dois casos, pela pouca disponibilidade de informações de desempenho na Argentina e pelo conjunto de variáveis residuais que não é homogêneo. / This thesis questions the liberal orientation that privatization is the best way to get better efficiency in delivering public services. The most of not sovereign public services, according to the liberal point of view should be rendered under privatization or outsourcing platforms. The theory of Transaction Cost Economics was used to verify if market structures should be chosen as governance mode where market is not efficient, specifically in localities in the reciprocal border of Argentina and Brazil. The study tries to validate the use of the analytical matrix of transaction costs, developed by Oliver Williamson for the private sector, now applied for the primary health care services. The answer to the question whether the discriminating alignment hypothesis can be used to explain comparatively the efficiency of primary care services in these two territories is the focus of this thesis. Analysis of the primary health care and its features demonstrated that these services are high specific and that they are unlikely to be mediated by a market based platform of governance. The differences in institutional development in both contexts resulted in different modes of governance. So compared, the largest misalignment that occurs in Argentina corresponds to the worst ratio of infant mortality in contrast to the Brazilian case. This is consistent with the theory. However, the validation of this finding was limited by a sample of two cases, by a limited availability of performance data in Argentina and by a residual set of variables that showed itself as not homogeneous.

This research investigates the relationship between supplier capabilities, inter-firm governance and buyer-supplier collaboration. The research focuses on three functional capabilities (Research and Development (R&D), Production and Support services capability), two governance mechanisms (Contractual and Relational governance) and three types of buyer-supplier collaboration (Information sharing, Collaborative product/service development and Collaborative problem solving). A theoretical framework is developed which first examines the multiple mediation effect of contractual and relational governance on the relationship between capability and collaboration type, and second, explores the relative strength of the indirect effect through contractual and relational governance. Survey based research methodology is used to empirically test the hypotheses in this research. Data are collected from a total of 120 SMEs in the UK aerospace industry. Bootstrapping based techniques are used to analyse the data and to examine the proposed relationship between capability, governance and collaboration. The empirical findings indicate that although both contractual and relational governance are important in order to link the supplier capability with collaboration, the individual effect of contractual and relational governance varies in different combinations of capabilities and collaboration types. The potential contribution of this research is twofold: first, in terms of academic contribution, this study combines the arguments of Resource Based View and Transaction Cost Economics to provide a holistic view in explaining the interrelation between capability, governance and buyer-supplier collaboration; Second, in terms of practical contribution, this study improves the understanding of practitioners in both buying and supplying firm regarding the alignment of interfirm exchange processes with capabilities to achieve better performance in collaboration.

This research investigates the antecedents and consequences of relational capabilities in the context of strategic alliance projects between MNE subsidiaries and local suppliers in the Thai manufacturing sector. The need to understand the relational capabilities approach is recognised in management literature, especially the ambiguous effects of the relational and economic dimensions, on relational capabilities in cross-cultural alliance projects. In particular, academics have highlighted the importance of relational capabilities, trust and transaction cost factors in that they play important roles in determining alliance success, especially in the context of cross-cultural alliances. A theoretical framework is developed which, first, explores the antecedents and barriers of relational capabilities and second, examines the multiple mediation effect of these on the link between inter-organizational conditions and alliance performance. The research design is aligned with quantitative methodology. The theoretical frameworks were tested using the data obtained from 156 strategic alliance projects between MNE subsidiaries and local suppliers in the Thai manufacturing sector with hierarchical regression analysis and the bootstrapping technique. The empirical results indicate that inter-personal trust, inter-organizational trust and asset specificity are antecedents of relational capabilities, while HR distance between alliance partners is not a barrier of these capabilities. Moreover, the empirical outcomes in relation to the indirect effect of the relational and economic dimensions on alliance performance through knowledge sharing routines and complementary capability are supported. However, the remaining hypotheses pertaining to the expectation that effective governance mechanisms are mediators on those relationships are rejected. This is explained by the fact that trust-based relationships are so deeply embedded in the Thai manufacturing sector that they predominate over such mechanisms. The contribution of this research is twofold: first, in terms of academic advancement, it combines the arguments of trust and TCE to provide a holistic view in explaining antecedents and consequences of relational capabilities. Second, in terms of practical contribution, it improves the understanding of practitioners both purchasing managers of MNE subsidiaries and sales managers, regarding the alignment of trust and asset specificity with relational capabilities to achieve better performance in cross-cultural strategic alliance projects.

Esta tese questiona a orientação liberal de que a privatização é a melhor maneira para se encontrar a eficiência na entrega de serviços públicos. A maior parte dos serviços públicos não soberanos, de acordo com a visão liberal, deve ser privatizada ou terceirizada. A teoria da Economia dos Custos de Transação foi utilizada para verificar se, de fato, essa afirmação seria possível, em cenários cuja eficiência de mercado é questionável, ou seja, em territórios de fronteira, vizinhos na Argentina e no Brasil. O estudo procura validar o uso da matriz analítica dos custos de transação, desenvolvida por Oliver Williamson, para transações do setor privado, em serviços públicos de atenção primária à saúde. A resposta à pergunta se a hipótese discriminante de alinhamento pode ser usada para se explicar, comparativamente, a eficiência da atenção primária em dois territórios distintos é o foco da tese. A análise da atenção primária à saúde e suas características demonstrou que esses serviços apresentam alta especificidade nos territórios estudados e que dificilmente serão mediados por uma plataforma de governança de mercado. As diferenças na evolução institucional nos dois contextos resultaram em modos diferentes de governança. De modo comparado, o maior desalinhamento verificado na Argentina corresponde ao indicador de mortalidade infantil menos eficiente em contraste com o caso brasileiro, de modo consistente com a teoria. Entretanto, a validação desse achado é limitada pela amostra de dois casos, pela pouca disponibilidade de informações de desempenho na Argentina e pelo conjunto de variáveis residuais que não é homogêneo. / This thesis questions the liberal orientation that privatization is the best way to get better efficiency in delivering public services. The most of not sovereign public services, according to the liberal point of view should be rendered under privatization or outsourcing platforms. The theory of Transaction Cost Economics was used to verify if market structures should be chosen as governance mode where market is not efficient, specifically in localities in the reciprocal border of Argentina and Brazil. The study tries to validate the use of the analytical matrix of transaction costs, developed by Oliver Williamson for the private sector, now applied for the primary health care services. The answer to the question whether the discriminating alignment hypothesis can be used to explain comparatively the efficiency of primary care services in these two territories is the focus of this thesis. Analysis of the primary health care and its features demonstrated that these services are high specific and that they are unlikely to be mediated by a market based platform of governance. The differences in institutional development in both contexts resulted in different modes of governance. So compared, the largest misalignment that occurs in Argentina corresponds to the worst ratio of infant mortality in contrast to the Brazilian case. This is consistent with the theory. However, the validation of this finding was limited by a sample of two cases, by a limited availability of performance data in Argentina and by a residual set of variables that showed itself as not homogeneous.

This study examines the organisational architecture of megaproject meta-organisations; that is project-based organisations formed to deliver one-off, capital-intensive systems. It investigates how the organisation that promotes the megaproject - the buyer organisation - divides and allocates the scope of the development work during the delivery phase across multiple suppliers. In so doing, the buyer organisation sets organisational boundaries around its own work and that of each project supplier: effectively creating the megaproject meta- organisation architecture. We use organisation design literature as the main cognitive lens to understand the architecture of megaproject organisations. This literature posits that organisational boundaries can be understood by examining the interplay of four logics: i) Transaction Cost Economics (TCE), ii) capabilities, iii) power and iv) organisational identity. The impact of these four logics on organisational boundaries has been theorised extensively in the context of the enduring firm. Here, we seek to extend our knowledge of boundaries in megaproject organisations. Unlike the enduring firm, megaproject organisations do not operate in efficient markets, are set up to have a finite-lifespan and are highly interdependent with their environment. Megaproject organisations are also a critical form of organising addressing one of the grand challenges of our time: the provision of basic infrastructure. Yet, little is known about the architecture of megaproject organisations. To address this theoretical and empirical gap, we undertook a multiple case research. We conducted an in-depth analysis of the procurement choices for four large infrastructure assets: the London Olympics 2012, Crossrail, Thames Tideway Tunnel and Heathrow's Terminal 2. The research results in the development of an original conceptual framework that illuminates how the four complementary logics are brought to bear in the organisational design choices that determine megaproject architectures. The study contends that the organisational boundaries, which demarcate the work of each supplier, are the outcome of a reconciliation of efficiency concerns and considerations about the capabilities available in-house and in the supplier market. Importantly, this reconciliation is context-sensitive. Hence, the solution space for potential organisational architectures is constrained by considerations related to power and organisational identity. Power constraints are rooted in the interdependency of the buyer with its environment, including regulatory-political and ownership relations, as well as its bargaining position vis a vis suppliers. Organisational identity constraints relate to the buyer organisation's identity, which is both pre- given and developed through self-selection over time.

Quais os determinantes da escolha do arranjo contratual nas transações entre produtores e processadores de carne bovina no Uruguai? A pergunta problema se insere no estudo dos mecanismos de coordenação associados ao problema do controle da produção para dar respostas às novas preocupações e demandas dos consumidores. A coordenação do sistema agroindustrial (SAG) da carne bovina uruguaia adquire maior relevância, não apenas para dar garantias de produtos seguros e com atributos específicos de qualidade aos consumidores, mas também para reagir rapidamente frente a mudanças e para explorar as oportunidades que o acesso a mercados de alto valor oferece (exporta-se 75% da produção). Coexistem diversos arranjos contratuais, dentre os quais o arranjo direto e via intermediário são os dominantes. Abordagem teórica: Economia dos Custos de Transação que focaliza a compreensão dos motivos que explicam a emergência e adaptação de arranjos contratuais em resposta aos desafios de ganhos de eficiência ?economizando? nos custos de realização das transações entre os agentes econômicos. Método: Foram analisadas as mudanças no ambiente institucional e organizacional nos mercados finais e no Uruguai; as novas oportunidades e estratégias no SAG da carne bovina; e o SAG uruguaio desde o consumo à produção. De modo particular, analisou-se a transação produtor-processador no que se refere aos arranjos contratuais existentes e às dimensões da transação (especificidade dos ativos físicos e humanos envolvidos na produção e processamento, locacional, freqüência e incerteza). Foram identificados os determinantes da escolha dos arranjos contratuais dominantes (direto e via intermediário). Por último realizou-se um teste estatístico das relações causais identificadas com painel de dados do total das transações realizadas no Uruguai (77.000 transações, 2004/2005). Resultados: Encontrou-se relação estatisticamente significativa entre a escolha do arranjo contratual na transação produtor-processador e os determinantes identificados. Uma transação tem maior probabilidade de se alinhar com o arranjo contratual direto (mais coordenado) quanto maior o grau de especificidade dos ativos envolvidos na produção e processamento do produto transacionado (ex.: novilhos precoces), quanto menor a distância entre o produtor e o processador, e quanto maior a freqüência das transações entre as partes envolvidas. O arranjo contratual direto facilita a coordenação das transações que envolvem produtos com atributos de maior qualidade. Os intermediários apresentam vantagens em transações de produtos genéricos (menor grau de ativos específicos) e com baixa freqüência de transação entre o produtor e processador envolvido. A busca por qualidade envolve investimentos específicos na produção e processamento e, em conseqüência, maior dependência bilateral entre os agentes dessas atividades. A dinâmica do SAG e o negócio da carne bovina dependem de dois conjuntos de produtos -baixa e alta qualidade- ligados a mercados diferentes. O subsistema que orienta as estratégias na busca de produtos de maior qualidade envolve arranjos mais coordenados. Do presente trabalho decorrem implicações para os atores do SAG e para as políticas públicas setoriais em torno a uma ?estratégia país? com foco em produtos cárnicos de alta qualidade e valor. / What are the determinants of the contractual arrangement choice in the beef producersprocessors transactions in Uruguay? The question refers to the coordination and production control problem. Changes in consumer?s awareness of specific attributes in food products demand information and better coordinated systems. Coordination becomes more important to Uruguay not only to assure quality attributes of products but also to explore market access opportunities and fast adaptation to international and local environmental changes (exports 75% of the beef production). There are different contractual arrangements in the producerprocessor transaction mainly direct channel and through intermediate agent. Theory approach: Transaction Cost Economics offers helpful insights to understand the reason for the development and adaptations of different contractual arrangement moved by transaction cost economizing perspective. Method: empirical analysis focused on the Uruguayan beef agro-industrial system. Analysis integrates (i) institutional and organizational environmental changes on final markets and in Uruguay; identification of new opportunities and strategies in the beef system; analysis of the Uruguayan system from consumption to production. (ii) Analysis of the producer-processor transaction in relation to the contractual arrangement and the dimension of the transaction (asset specificity in the production and processing of the product being transacted, location, frequency of transaction and uncertainty). Identification of the determinants of the main contractual arrangement choice (direct and trough intermediate agent). Finally, an econometric analysis of the causal relation identified (determinants). Data sources: panel data with producers-processors transaction from Uruguayan Agricultural Bureau (77,000 transactions, 2004/05). Results: Statistical significance between the contractual arrangement choice in the beef producer-processors transaction and the determinants identified. The probability of a transaction being aligned with the direct contractual arrangement (more coordinated) increases in transactions with higher asset specificity (e.g.: young steer), lower distance between producer and processor, and with higher frequency of transaction between these agents. The direct contractual arrangement is helpful for the coordination of higher quality products. The intermediate agent presents advantages for generic products transactions (lower asset specificity) and with low frequency of transaction between the producer and processor involved. Seeking for quality involves specific investments by producers and processors and, hence, higher bilateral dependency between these agents. The beef system depends on two sets of products ?higher and lower quality- oriented to markets with different characteristics. The subsystem oriented to higher quality products involves higher coordinated arrangements. The results of this research were extended to implication for the organizations of the beef system and public policies in relation to a ?country strategy? focused on higher quality and value beef products.

O objetivo da presente tese consiste na determinação de novas estruturas de governança capazes de fornecer os incentivos e controles necessários para a sustentação de estratégias de diferenciação de produto na cadeia produtiva de frutas, legumes e verduras frescos (FLV), focalizando o papel do varejo moderno na definição e adoção de padrões e classificações privados que visam aumentar a coordenação vertical da cadeia. A tese mostrará que as novas estratégias adotadas pelo varejo moderno utilizam como mecanismo de coordenação das transações com produtores e consumidores a criação de padrões privados próprios, que têm como objetivo principal informar a qualidade desejada dos produtos comercializados aos produtores e, ao mesmo tempo, atender às exigências de qualidade do consumidor. Novas estruturas de governança surgem buscando sustentar tais transações. A conjunção de mecanismos de sinalização, credibilidade e o efeito reputação constituem o fator chave para a efetividade do padrão privado como mecanismo de coordenação ao longo da cadeia. / The thesis’ objective consists in the determination of new governance structures capable of providing the necessary incentives and controls to the maintenance of product’s differentiation strategies in the fresh fruits and vegetables (FFV) productive chain, focusing the role of the modern retailers in the definition and adoption of private standards and classifications that intend to increase the chain’s vertical coordination. The thesis will show that the new strategies adopted by the modern retailers use the creation of private standards as a coordination mechanism of the transactions with producers and consumers, under the main objective of providing information to the producers about the commercialized products’ desirable quality and, simultaneously, fill up the consumer’s quality demands. New governance structures arise in the search of sustain to these transactions. The conjunction of signalizing mechanisms, credibility and reputation effect is the key factor to the effectiveness of the private standards as a coordination mechanism along the chain.