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Refers to the recent trend to utilize strategic alliances and partnerships for securing both goods and services. Additionally, the supply chain management concept is gaining more acceptance as a method of sustaining a competitive advantage in global markets. Although the literature explores strategic partnerships within both the buyer and supplier context and the shipper and logistics context, there has been little attempt to link these relationships in order to explore multi‐firm interactions. Examines existing buyer‐supplier strategic partnerships and the role of carriers used to transport the particular items sourced within these partnerships through an in‐depth case study methodology of firms engaged in identifiable three‐party relationships. There are two primary objectives of this research: to assess the carriers’ perceived importance and degree of participation within the buyer‐supplier partnerships; and to explore further the relationship between strategic partnerships and supply chain management by presenting more detailed information from firms involved in three‐way relationships. Of interest to carriers, manufacturers, purchasers and academics.

Refers to the recent trend to utilize strategic alliances and partnerships for securing both goods and services. Additionally, the supply chain management concept is gaining more acceptance as a method of sustaining a competitive advantage in global markets. Although the literature explores strategic partnerships within both the buyer and supplier context and the shipper and logistics context, there has been little attempt to link these relationships in order to explore multi‐firm interactions. Examines existing buyer‐supplier strategic partnerships and the role of carriers used to transport the particular items sourced within these partnerships through an in‐depth case study methodology of firms engaged in identifiable three‐party relationships. There are two primary objectives of this research: to assess the carriers’ perceived importance and degree of participation within the buyer‐supplier partnerships; and to explore further the relationship between strategic partnerships and supply chain management by presenting more detailed information from firms involved in three‐way relationships. Of interest to carriers, manufacturers, purchasers and academics.

Supply chain management emphasizes collaborative relationships between buyers and suppliers within a supply chain. The purpose of this paper is to examine the antecedents of buyer‐supplier partnership and to explore its impact on the supply chain performance.

The proposed research model was tested via structural equation modeling analysis with survey data collected in October 2007 from 141 buyer‐supplier practitioners in South Korea.

The results of this study imply that both strategic and operational variables are perceived as crucial factors affecting the buyer‐supplier partnership; thus, this partnership relationship exerts an impact on supply chain performance.

This study provides researchers and practitioners with a more comprehensive understanding about the buyer‐supplier partnership in a supply chain context. Future research should focus on developing additional constructs that may capture other aspect of buyer‐supplier partnership.

The present study makes an empirical contribution by investigating an integrated framework focusing on the antecedents of buyer‐supplier partnership and its impact on supply chain performance.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a theoretical base for buyer-supplier quality outcomes (in the context of a strategic partnership) from the institutional theory of the firm. It examines quality outcomes within a partnership and demonstrates how the partners’ quality outcomes are related.

The paper examines quality outcomes within a strategic supply chain partnership (buyer-supplier) and demonstrates how the partners’ quality performance are related. Correlation analysis is used to examine the research hypothesis.

Utilizing the institutional theory and stakeholder theory of the firm, it is argued that within a strategic partnership, the quality outcomes of the partners are significantly related. By focusing on a strategic alliance within a strategic group in the US airline industry, it is shown that there is a significant relationship among quality outcomes of the partners within the strategic alliance.

The analysis was limited to only one strategic partnership. Future research should examine quality outcomes among multiple strategic partnerships in order to validate the findings of this study.

The study discusses the importance of strategic alliances and networks of firms as determinants of firm quality performance.

The purpose of this paper is to identify three commonly observed mistakes made when managing suppliers and describe factors that contribute to successful buyer–supplier partnerships.

Five extensive case studies in the automotive and clothing industry, as well as cases discussed in the literature, are analysed.

Barriers to successful partnerships are a too strong emphasis on cost cutting and a too controlling management approach on the part of the buyer, and the abuse of insider knowledge for faking performances on the side of the supplier. Open communication, willingness to engage in mutual learning and encouraging innovations are observed in successful partnerships.

A limited number of case studies in the German automotive industry and the Turkish clothing industry are used. Both industries are subject to significant change which means that generalisations should be made with caution. Therefore, we discuss only problems and solutions that have also been identified in studies conducted in other industries and/or countries.

Managers learn how to best manage partnerships with suppliers and what mistakes to avoid.

Partnerships aiming at improving working conditions are discussed. Findings and recommendations help managers improve their corporate social performance in the supply chain.

Partnerships are approached from the perspective of the supplier to identify commonly made mistakes and successful practices of buyers.

The purpose of this paper is to use resource dependence theory to hypothesize that a buyer’s innovation strategy enhances supplier innovation focus and a buyer-supplier relationship that supports product innovation. These in turn positively impact buyer product innovation outcomes and business performance. Moreover, it is argued that the buyer-supplier relationship positively moderates the impact of supplier innovation focus on product innovation.

Structural equation modeling and hierarchical linear regression are used to test hypotheses.

The results support all hypotheses and suggest that company (buyer) age and variables related to buyer engagement with international markets directly influence performance. The results also indicate that the buyer-supplier relationship does not moderate the relationship between innovation strategy and innovation performance.

This study demonstrates that how a firm builds the conditions to effectively leverage the complementary resources and capabilities of suppliers directly influence innovation outcomes and business performance.

An important factor in firms achieving their product innovation goals is the selection and management of suppliers that are strategically aligned with regard to innovation. While managers need to develop internal innovation capabilities, partnering with like-minded organizations, and creating conditions for effective cooperation are key drivers of innovation outcomes.

In contrast to prior research that has examined operational issues, this study shows how the strategic alignment of buyers and suppliers with regard to innovation is an antecedent of product innovation outcomes. Moreover, it adds to a limited literature on supply chain management practices in emerging markets.

Increasing competitive pressure over the past 20 years has forced many companies to re‐evaluate their value‐added systems. This re‐evaluation has greatly amplified the managerial attention focused on purchasing. Indeed, many firms have begun to emphasize purchasing in their attempts to improve their competitive positions. Two advanced sourcing practices have been particularly important: global and JIT sourcing. This paper: 1) reviews the literature pertaining to these two sourcing practices, 2) considers potential competitive impact, 3) explores issues of compatibility, and 4) presents future research directions.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an explanation and set out the reasons for the change in supply strategy from sole sourcing to split sourcing at an automotive assembly plant. In that context, this paper highlights the advantages of split sourcing over earlier strategies.

The information on which this paper is based comes chiefly from two sets of qualitative interviews staged in 1996 and 2003 at automotive supplier plants in northern Spain. Particular attention is paid to suppliers working with sequenced deliveries located close to the Volkswagen plant in Navarre. The vehicle model manufactured changes between the interviews. A comparison of the two pieces of fieldwork reveals changes in the plant's supply strategy.

A comparison between the supply strategies of a plant for two successive, distinct models provides empirical support for the idea that supply strategies evolve. The need is also demonstrated for the first time to consider individual plants expressly, since significant cost savings can be made at this level at two key times: when switching models and during model life‐times. These cost savings depend clearly on the type of buyer‐supplier relationship established at plant level.

The most significant conclusion for practitioners concerns the need to design a supply strategy from a dynamic approach that specifically considers the plant level.

The basic contribution of this paper is that it examines changes over time in outsourcing decisions in the automotive industry by incorporating the viewpoint of individual plants. Following this approach, the evolution from sole sourcing to split sourcing is described and interpreted. The paper also stresses the need to analyse procurement strategies in evolutionary terms (i.e. as being reconfigured in line with experience).

Two of the most pervasive trends in purchasing management during the 1980s were the increased usage of global sourcing and the development of JIT sourcing. Both practices have become quite popular because of the significant competitive benefits they provide to the firms that successfully implement them. Despite their increasingly widespread adoption, these two sourcing strategies have traditionally been viewed as incompatible; therefore, most firms have not sought to integrate them in their efforts to enhance competitive position. Explores the potential of using logistics to facilitate the concurrent usage of global and JIT sourcing. Combines a conceptual discussion with an empirical study to understand better the opportunities to develop integrated global/JIT materials.

This study aims to investigate whether higher value creation leads to higher value appropriation and to identify the boundary conditions in a buyer–supplier relationship that can explain why a particular supplier can appropriate higher value than others.

The study uses questionnaire surveys. The sample of the survey has 150 publicly-listed supplier firms in Taiwan. The unit of analysis is the buyer–supplier relationship.

In the buyer–supplier relationship, suppliers’ bargaining power, partnership and a supplier’s original brand manufacturing (OBM) business can strengthen the positive relationship between value creation and value appropriation.

This study adopts the unilateral viewpoint of suppliers; however, some constructs might require dyadic evaluation. This study only explores the spillover effect of OBM business on the relationship between value creation and appropriation.

The spillover effect of a supplier’s OBM business in a buyer–supplier relationship allows the buyer to share more common benefits and the supplier to capture more private benefits as compensation. By broadening its customer base, a supplier can increase its bargaining power. A supplier can also maintain a strategic partnership with each essential buyer.

To avoid the dark-side effect of partnership, the model provides the contingency that a supplier can capture more value from a buyer–supplier relationship.