Cees J. Gelderman

Public procurement and EU tendering directives – explaining non‐compliance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to make a contribution to categorising explanations of non‐compliance of EU tendering directives and to report on a survey study to the impact of these reasons on compliance with the directives.Design/methodology/approach – A literature review resulted in a conceptual model and related hypotheses, pointing at four potential reasons for (non‐)compliance: the purchasers familiarity with the rules, the perceived inefficiency, organisational incentives to comply, and the expected resistance and readiness of suppliers to take action in case of non‐compliance. The paper uses data from a survey among 147 responding purchasing professionals of the Dutch Ministry of Defence.Findings – The empirical findings indicate that both purchasers familiarity with the rules and organisational incentives have a positive, statistically significant impact on compliance. Nor the alleged inefficiency of the directives, nor the expected supplier resistance seem to influence the compliance w...

The Safeguarding Effect of Governance Mechanisms in Inter-Firm Exchange: The Decisive Role of Mutual Opportunism

This study empirically investigates the safeguarding effect of (1) administrative control, (2) a dominant power position and (3) relational norms, on opportunistic behaviour of suppliers, by means of a survey among 624 information and communication technology professionals in Dutch municipalities. The findings indicate that individual effectiveness of relational norms, particularly in terms of flexibility and solidarity, was most prominent. Administrative control and power did not show a significant impact on supplier opportunism in our sample. Research into the simultaneous use of several safeguards against opportunism generated the finding that different relational norms fortify each others safeguarding effect. Furthermore, we demonstrate that supplier opportunism is only mitigated by a dominant power position when the buyer does not exploit its favourable position and the buyer does not behave opportunistically. Hence, power seems to have a safeguarding effect only when it is not used.

Explaining the internet usage of SMEs: The impact of market orientation, behavioural norms, motivation and technology acceptance

Purpose - Small to mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) are underrepresented in market orientation and internet-related research. Yet, marketing-related issues represent some of the most important problems for SMEs. The purpose of this paper is to explain why SMEs use the internet in business processes and to explore the relationship between market orientation and internet usage. Design/methodology/approach - The study amalgamates the technology acceptance model, the motivation model and the integrated model of technology acceptance into one model. Hypotheses are tested with survey data from Belgian SMEs using partial least squares. Findings - One of the findings is that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are positively significantly related to internet usage intention. No significant relationships were found between behavioural norms and perceived ease of use and between perceived ease of use and the intention to use the internet. Practical implications - Managerial implications include that SME-internet training providers should focus on methods to increase the users perceived enjoyment (intrinsic motivation) instead of emphasizing the perceived ease of use of the internet. Originality/value - Researchers as well as practitioners have stressed the gains from implementing market-orientated strategies in firms. Together with the prominence of studies about patterns and characteristics of internet usage, this calls for studies that integrate these two streams of literature. The study shows in what way market orientation is related to the capability to use internet to a firms long term advantage. Up till now the relationship between market orientation and internet use has hardly received attention.

Application of Kraljic's Purchasing Portfolio Matrix in an Undeveloped Logistics Infrastructure: The Staatsolie Suriname Case

ABSTRACT The Kraljic matrix has received large-scale adoption, especially in Western Europe, as a tool for developing differentiated purchasing strategies. However, it is not clear whether the Kraljic matrix could be applied by companies operating in remote conditions in a country or region where the logistics infrastructure is not well developed. This paper reports on a literature study that is aimed at identifying the necessary adaptations to the Kraljic matrix when applied under remote conditions. Based on an action research project within the State Oil Company of Suriname, the usefulness of the adapted Kraljic approach has been explored.

Buyer-supplier relationship development : an empirical study among Dutch purchasing professionals

Case study based literature on relationship development presents in-depth information on contextual factors in relationship development. However, little quantitative evidence is available about key aspects of buyer-supplier relationships in each stage of its development, such as the level of trust/commitment, buyers and suppliers dependence. The study will try to fill this gap by identifying and quantifying these aspects from the buyers perspective in each development stage. A comprehensive survey among 238 Dutch purchasing professionals provides evidence on how these characteristics of relationships change when relationships develop over time. The results largely confirm the hypotheses, which stem from the extant literature about organizational dependence and trust/commitment. A notable finding is that the buyer perceives to be dependent on the supplier, even in a desirable relationship. Managerial implications are that: (1) industrial marketers should be aware that professional purchasers feel dominated by them, even in relationships that are positively evaluated and therefore desirable in the view of the buyer; and (2) that purchasers should be aware that dependence implies vulnerability, even when the relationship is still developing in an otherwise desirable way.

A Dutch-French comparison of dependence, trust and commitment in buyer supplier relationships: A purchasing portfolio approach

National culture is likely to affect trust, commitment and dependence in buyer-supplier relationships. Yet, empirical research on buyer-supplier relationships in different cultural settings is still limited. This article presents the findings of an exploratory study into the role of culture in different types of buyer-supplier relationships. Hypotheses have been tested, using data from a survey among 84 French purchasing professionals and data gathered before in the Netherlands with 216 colleagues. A comparative analysis revealed that the cultural background of purchasers does affect their perceptions of trust, commitment and dependence in supplier relationships. French purchasers demonstrate lower levels of (affective) commitment, competence trust and goodwill trust towards their suppliers, compared to their Dutch colleagues. These findings are inconsistent to what French-Dutch intercultural studies suggest. Focus group discussions indicate that Professional Culture might be more important than National Culture for the explanation of differences in buyer-supplier relationships.

Development of sustainability in public sector procurement

Public organizations are increasingly adding environmental and social aspects in their strategic agendas. This paper focuses on the actors and factors that influence the speed of implementation of sustainability initiatives. Four healthcare organizations in The Netherlands were studied. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with top management, budget owners and procurement professionals. Although top management assigned strategic importance to sustainability initiatives, budget owners had the final say in implementation. Procurement professionals had very little influence on the implementation process of sustainability.

Implementing sustainability in public procurement: The limited role of procurement managers and party-political executives

Little is known about the way local government utilizes the procurement function to promote sustainability. Sustainability is a political theme of considerable importance at the local government level. We investigated the relationships between municipal executive councillors and procurement managers in three Dutch municipalities. We found that the party-political councillors focus on initiatives affecting citizens to create public visibility and electoral support. Procurement managers however, are primarily concerned with stakeholders within the organization serving different interests. Sustainability initiatives appear largely input-based rather than result-based. Procurement managers rarely consult with the councillors. Rather, department heads have the final say in allocating funds in the course of sustainability initiatives.

Waiting in multi-stage services: an exploration across service industries

This field study explores the relative importance of waiting time perception with waits before, during and following the actual service delivery in three multi-stage services. Data were collected in various service settings, i.e., in restaurants, assessment and dental services in the Netherlands. Structural equation modelling is used to analyse the data. Results imply that in restaurant services, the service-entry wait has the largest influence on service evaluation, in the assessment services the service-exit wait is predominant and in the dental services, the in-service wait is the most important wait. Researchers and practitioners are suggested to apply a stage approach when considering waiting time satisfaction in their work. This study is one of the first to empirically explore the effect of service waits in multiple succeeding services stages outside restaurant services.