<p>Purchasing is a function that has developed form a more clerical function to a function of strategic importance over the last 20 years. As a result of this development we have observed that many fi rms engage in supplier development activities as a part of their purchasing strategy.</p><p>This thesis consists of four different essays describing various aspects of supplier development and an essay that summarise and connects the four essays as well as giving a broad introduction to the fi eld of research.</p><p>Small and medium sized firms are of special interest when studying supplier or supply chain since they are important links in their supply chains but have fewer resources and therefore limited possibilities to develop by themselves. In the thesis three of the essays describe different ways in which this can be conducted.</p><p>Positive benefits from supplier and supply chain development reported in the thesis are lower costs, shorter lead times, increased competence and an overall improved competitiveness.</p>

Purchasing is a function that has developed form a more clerical function to a function of strategic importance over the last 20 years. As a result of this development we have observed that many fi rms engage in supplier development activities as a part of their purchasing strategy. This thesis consists of four different essays describing various aspects of supplier development and an essay that summarise and connects the four essays as well as giving a broad introduction to the fi eld of research. Small and medium sized firms are of special interest when studying supplier or supply chain since they are important links in their supply chains but have fewer resources and therefore limited possibilities to develop by themselves. In the thesis three of the essays describe different ways in which this can be conducted. Positive benefits from supplier and supply chain development reported in the thesis are lower costs, shorter lead times, increased competence and an overall improved competitiveness.

Background:  As enterprises focus on their core competence, outsourcing other activities other firms can do better, the necessity of managing supplier relationships and upgrading the inter-firm relationships become evident. Supplier development as a potential attempt, tries to fill the gap between ideal criteria and the particular suppliers’ actual capabilities and performance in the supply chain. The buying firms initiate the supplier development efforts in order to increase their abilities to create and deliver a superior value to their own customers. In this respect, it is essential to investigate the practices and story of what the buyer and the supplier do in relation to supplier development and what factors contribute to the success of the program and benefits of the dyad. Furthermore, acknowledgment of difficulties that might bring failure in the SD should be taken into consideration so as to possibly avoid them. The supplier development is widely neglected a dyadic view in literature review. The importance of this study is adding the supplier’s standpoint to the buyer’s view in order to achieve the dyadic perspective associated with the practices, the success factors and the barriers. Purpose: This research aims to identify and describe the practices of supplier development in buyer-supplier dyads. The success factors of the supplier development program and the barriers to the supplier development programs are also investigated based on the buying and supplying firms’ perspectives. The main goal is to contribute to a better understanding of the supplier development from a dyadic standpoint. Method: This study is conducted from an interpretivism standpoint with the use of a deductive approach and qualitative strategy. A holistic multiple-case study of two plastic manufacturing firms as the buyers and their three main suppliers (three dyads) is applied in Iran. The empirical data is gathered via 6 different semi-structured interviews. The empirical evidence is analyzed by using within-case, cross-case and pattern matching analysis. The study considers the ethical issues; harm to participant, informed consents, invasion privacy and deception. The research quality is based upon trustworthiness and authenticity.   Result, conclusion: Thanks to within-case analysis which generates the dyadic view with respect to practices, success factors and barriers to supplier development, amazing result is achieved that rarely mentioned by the previous research. A number of conflicting views between the buying firm and the supplier is found due to dyadic investigation which demonstrates the gaps between the buyer and supplier’s perceptions in dyadic relationship. The dyads are simultaneously involved in both direct and indirect supplier development practices. Based on the level of buying firm’s involvement in supplier development activities, the dyads partially follow the degree of sequence from low, moderate to high involvement levels. Each dyad can eliminate or keep the lower level of buyer’s involvement activities when they start the moderate and high level of buyer’s involvement practices. However, the specific position cannot be identified for a particular dyad and the supplier development activities are scattered in all three levels. Based on the dyadic standpoint, the factors that contribute to success of the supplier development program in each dyad can be seen as buyer-, supplier-specific and interface success factors. In this regards, this dyadic multiple-case study confirms the reviewed literature associated with success factors and finds supplier’s top management support and previous supplier development experiences as the additional factors in supplier-specific area that contributes to the successful inter-firm relationship and the supplier development that are not pinpointed by the previous studies. Barriers to the supplier development are factors which hinder the success of the supplier development program. According to the literature review, the barriers could be divided into buyer-, supplier- specific as well as buyer-supplier interface barriers. This study partially confirms the previous studies and reveals some surprising results. One of the most useful findings of the research is that only one barrier in buyer-specific category is verified by one of the dyadic cases. However, in addition to identified barriers, lack of supplier’s top management support and supplier’s indolence are seen as the supplementary supplier-specific barriers to the supplier development. Interestingly, there are other types of barriers that cannot be found in the previous research which is categorized as context barriers. This type includes those kinds of barriers that are originated in the context of relationship in a dyad.

Background: Sustainability is the need of the time, everyone in the society should play a role in making a more sustainable environment. Organizations as demanded by the whole society need to be more sustainable in order to achieve survival and success. The sustainable development of a company is inseparable from a sustainable supply management. Supplier development is one of the critical parts in supply management which can contribute to the buying firm and its suppliers’ sustainable development. With different strategies in supplier development life-cycle stages and the sustainability considerations in supplier development practices are significant in corporate sustainable development. Purpose: The intention of this thesis is to empirically study what strategies in supplier development practices are implemented in Ericsson and how sustainability is taken into consideration. By studying supplier development practices in Ericsson empirically, this thesis intended to deepen knowledge of supplier development practices in the telecommunications industry. Method: This thesis is a qualitative research study which utilizes the single-case study methodwith multiple interviews. The empirical findings were supported by both primary and secondary data. The interviews were conducted with semi-structured ways under the framework of the interview’s ethical considerations and interview guide. Conclusion: There are different strategies which include both direct and indirect strategies in different supplier development life-cycle stages in Ericsson. Sustainability is taken into consideration in designing, recruiting, implementing, evaluating and rewarding stages of supplier development life cycle. The findings have contributed to deepen the knowledge of supplier development practices empirically in the telecommunications industry.

Background. In today’s business environment firms are highly supplier dependent, and with a changing landscape of legislations affecting product requirements it is challenging for firms to keep a compliant and competitive supplier base. The post-COVID effects of supply shortages affect demand and with geopolitical uncertainties apparent, it becomes imperative that firms manage and develop suppliers to ensure competitiveness. To combat this, the concept Supplier development has been proven to enhance buying firm-competitive advantage, supplier performance and buyer-supplier relationship. It refers to any efforts by the buying firm, together with the supplier, to enhance the capabilities of the supplier to meet the firm’s short- and long-term needs. It is imperative for firms in today’s markets, due to the volatile factors mentioned, to develop a stable supplier base effectively and successfully. Purpose. Explore and identify the activities and factors that lead to successful supplier development in the context of an electronics manufacturing company in the video and surveillance industry. Methods. A qualitative case study was chosen as it allows for a deep and context specific understanding as to why activities and factors lead to success in supplier development. It further helps in finding relationships and uncovering complexities that exist. Semi-structured interviews were with professionals from Sourcing, Quality and Sustainability departments were conducted to understand the factors and activities profoundly while gaining different perspectives on the matters to enhance validity. Results. It is found that for a buying firm to initiate supplier development there are some essential factors that must be present in the relationship with a supplier. These are called enablers and consist of the following: Trust, Commitment, Information sharing, Communication, and Top management support. The factors that enhance the performance of supplier development initiatives are called success factors, the findings are: Having the right competence, Local resources, Alignment of management level to the supplier’s, Good margins and Tools for supplier development. Lastly, the activities found to effectively develop the supplier are divided into direct and indirect activities, where the latter indicates less resource commitment by the buying firm: Training and Education, Knowledge transfer and Supplier visits, Encourage visits to buying firm’s headquarters, Supplier conference, Supplier certification and Supplier assessment. Conclusions. The following enablers build up the foundation which is essential for initiating supplier development initiatives; Trust, Commitment, Information sharing, and Top management support. The supplier development activities that have shown to result in successfully improving buyer competitive advantage and/or supplier performance and/or buyer-supplier relationship performance are the following: Training and education, Knowledge transfer, Supplier visits, Encourage visits to buying firm’s headquarters, Create incentives at supplier conference, Supplier certification and Supplier assessment. Lastly, the thesis identified several success factors from the findings by conducting this case study that enhance the implementation and execution of supplier development initiatives: Having the right competence, Local resources, Aligning management level to the supplier interface, Good margins and Tools for supplier development. The study contributes to supplier development research by providing an in-depth qualitative study about success factors and key activities in supplier development. It sought to provide managers with insights on how to successfully develop their supplier base to enhance firm competitiveness and keep compliant supplier bases. / Bakgrund. I dagens affärsmiljö är företag starkt beroende av leverantörer, och med ett föränderligt landskap av lagstiftningar som påverkar produktkrav är det utmanande för företag att upprätthålla en efterlevande och konkurrenskraftig leverantörsbas. Efter-covid-effekterna av leveransbrist påverkar efterfrågan och med geopolitiska osäkerheter är det nödvändigt att företag hanterar och utvecklar leverantörer för att säkerställa konkurrenskraft. För att bekämpa detta har konceptet Leverantörsutveckling visat sig förbättra köpande företags konkurrensfördel, leverantörsprestanda och relationen mellan köpare och leverantör. Det syftar på alla insatser från det köpande företaget, tillsammans med leverantören, för att förbättra leverantörens kapacitet att möta företagets kort- och långsiktiga behov. Det är nödvändigt för företag i dagens marknader, på grund av de nämnda volatila faktorerna, att utveckla en stabil leverantörsbas effektivt och framgångsrikt. Syfte. Syftet med studien är att utforska och identifiera faktorer och aktiviteter som leder till framgångsrik leverantörsutveckling i kontexten av ett elektronikföretag inom video- och övervakningsindustrin. Metod. En kvalitativ fallstudie valdes eftersom den tillåter en djup och kontextspecifik förståelse för varför de identifierade aktiviteterna och faktorerna leder till framgång inom leverantörsutveckling. Den hjälper även att finna relationer och undersöka komplexitet bland faktorer. Ett elektronikföretag i video- och övervakningsindustrin användes som ett fall-företag. Semi-strukturerade intervjuer gjordes med representanter från avdelningar inom inköp, kvalitet, och hållbarhet, för att förstå faktorer och aktiviteter på djupet samtidigt som olika perspektiv på ämnena kunde fångas upp. Resultat. För att ett inköpsföretag ska påbörja utvecklingen av en leverantör krävs det vissa avgörande faktorer som måste finnas närvarande i relationen. Dessa benämns, "möjliggörare" och inkluderar förtroende, engagemang, informationsdelning, kommunikation och stöd från högsta ledningen. Faktorer som är fördelaktiga för ett inköpsföretag för att förbättra prestandan av leverantörsutvecklingsinitiativ betecknas som framgångsfaktorer. Dessa omfattar att ha rätt kompetens, tillgång till lokala resurser, anpassning av ledningsnivån till leverantörens, upprätthållande av goda marginaler samt tillhandahållande av verktyg för leverantörsutveckling. Slutligen, de aktiviteter som identifierats som effektiva för att utveckla leverantörer delas upp i direkta och indirekta aktiviteter, där de senare nämnda kräver mindre resurser från inköpsföretaget. Direkta nyckelaktiviteter inkluderar utbildning och träning, överföring av kunskap. De indirekta nyckelaktiviteterna inkluderar leverantörsbesök, uppmuntran av besök till inköpsföretagets huvudkontor, leverantörskonferenser, leverantörs certifiering och bedömning. Slutsatser. Möjliggörarna som utgör grunden för att kunna initiera leverantörsutveckling är följande:  förtroende, engagemang, delning av information och stöd från högsta ledningen. De leverantörsutvecklingsaktiviteter som har visat sig framgångsrikt förbättra köparens konkurrensfördel och/eller leverantörens prestanda och/eller köparens-leverantörsrelationens prestanda inkluderar: Utbildning och träning, kunskapsöverföring, leverantörsbesök, uppmuntra besök till köpande företagets huvudkontor, skapa incitament vid leverantörskonferenser, leverantörs certifiering och leverantörsbedömning. Slutligen identifierade avhandlingen flera framgångsfaktorer som förbättrar genomförandet av leverantörsutvecklingsinitiativ: att ha rätt kompetens, tillgång till lokala resurser, anpassning av ledningsnivån till leverantörens, upprätthållande av goda marginaler samt tillhandahållande av verktyg för leverantörsutveckling. Studien bidrar till forskning om leverantörsutveckling genom att tillhandahålla en djupgående kvalitativ studie om framgångsfaktorer och nyckelaktiviteter inom leverantörsutveckling. Den syftade till att ge chefer insikter om hur de framgångsrikt kan utveckla sin leverantörsbas för att förbättra företagets konkurrenskraft och upprätthålla efterlevande leverantörsbaser.

The main proposition of this study is to examine Volvo Powertrain's procurement ofproduction equipment in order to find solutions that can prevent delays in futureprocurements. The conditions of the case leads to the theoretical field of supplierdevelopment, which emphasizes the advantages of closer collaborations between thebuying company and their supply chain. Through focus groups with Volvo-personneland interviews with supplier representatives, a step-by-step examination is made ofprior procurement projects. The knowledge generated from the examination is theninterlaced with theory concerning supplier development, which results in a line ofconclusions of Volvo Powertrain’s procurement process and the possibilities to takesupplier development into consideration for future procurements. Finally,recommendations to Volvo Powertrain is provided in the form of an updatedprocurement model called Volvo Equipment Procurement Model.

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?

<p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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!’</p> / <p>Research questions:</p><p>Which are the potential problem areas of Supplier Development within dyadic relationships in the Swedish furniture retail industry?</p><p>Which possible solutions for these problem areas can be found in order to improve Supplier Development?</p>

Purpose To investigate under which conditions SCD’s work with implementing a lean mindset and behaviour at key suppliers is successful. To help fulfilling the purpose this thesis aims to answer the question: What affects how the production unit of a Scania key supplier adopts a lean mindset and behaviour with focus on continuous improvements? Methodology An exploratory multiple case study with a qualitative data analysis and inductive approach. The cases consist of five Swedish first-tier suppliers to Scania CV AB, and a pilot case study conducted at Scania, Södertälje. Result The case study resulted in a categorisation of suppliers into three groups based on their characteristics and ability to adopt a lean mindset and behaviour: Group I:  Lack of direction, inconsistent management culture, no deeper understanding or interest in lean, no involvement or responsibility of operators in improvement work, a tendency to copy tools and methods given by external help directly into the organisation. Group II:  Strong sense of direction, strong management culture, a personal interest in lean and improvements, an “us and them” culture between managers and operators, and a strong sense to develop tools and working methods in-house and be very restrictive with applying external thoughts in the organisation. Group III: Clear long-term direction; primarily evident among managers, clear targets on an operational level to guide the rest of the organisation, a supportive management culture, an expectation on operators to perform improvement work, and openness to external help but a strong sense of filtering and adapting to the own organisation. Conclusion Our conclusion is that SCD is variously successful due to that the same approach has been used despite different needs of the suppliers. The recommendation is to analyse suppliers with tools provided in this research and adapt the development approach to specific supplier needs: Group I: No prioritisation of long-term development of this group. Group II: Provide guiding from experience to management team, focus workshop on operators and their nearest contact points. Group III: Provide possible solutions to specific problems.

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