Robert C. Fink

Supplier performance improvements in relational exchanges

Purpose – This study aims to test both customer and supplier performance benefits associated with closer relational exchanges in light of both resource and technological environmental contingencies.Design/methodology/approach – The research involved a survey of 1,170 managers in the pulp and paper industry to understand their relationship with their primary supplier of process control equipment (PCE). Each respondent was asked to provide their views on the closeness of their supplier relationship, the performance gains realized from their supplier relationships, and the linkage between their performance gains and improvements in supplier performance.Findings – The results indicate that although customers may be achieving better performance through closer relationships, suppliers may not always be reaping reciprocal benefits. Specifically, improvements in customer purchasing performance did not result in improved supplier performance, but customer improvements in production performance resulted in supplier...

Relational Exchange Strategies, Performance, Uncertainty, and Knowledge

This study tests both the purchasing and production performance benefits of relational exchange strategies under varying levels of environmental uncertainty. The results indicate that customers realize different performance benefits from relational exchanges in certain versus uncertain environments. In uncertain environments, all the customer performance benefits tested were enhanced through the use of relational exchanges, but in more certain environments, only the production performance benefits achieved through knowledge transfer were improved. The results suggest the need to develop exchange theory and conduct further research on the influences of both environmental and internal organization uncertainty on relational customer-supplier exchanges and the corresponding performance benefits.

Supplier strategies to increase customer purchases over the duration of customer‐supplier relationships

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to understand factors related to increased customer purchases from suppliers during different stages of the customer‐supplier relationship.Design/methodology/approach – A survey of 372 professionals in the paper industry was conducted to investigate how customer performance outcomes, supplier quality and delivery performance, the presence of relational norms and customer perspectives of environmental uncertainty vary in their influence on increasing customer purchases over time.Findings – The results indicate the variables influencing increased customer purchases vary over the duration of the customer‐supplier relationship. It is also shown how the variables influencing increased customer purchases from suppliers are different from the variables leading to increased customer commitment to suppliers over time.Research limitations/implications – Data were collected from the customer perspective only and involved the exchange of one type of product. Similar studies n...

Customer perceptions of dependencies in customer–supplier relationships

This paper studies how customer and their suppliers dependency and the relative dependency of both firms correlates with customer perceptions of environmental uncertainties, relational exchange and both customer and supplier exchange benefits. The study draws on resource dependency and transaction cost economics theories and is based on a survey of 372 paper mills. The results indicate that customers perceive dependency is related to exchange benefits and not environmental uncertainties or relational exchange and the exchange benefits differ depending on which exchange partner is dependent and the relative dependence between the exchange partners.

The effects of performance, environmental uncertainty and relational norms on customer commitments to suppliers over the duration of customer-supplier relationships

This paper investigates customer commitments to suppliers based on customer performance outcomes, supplier quality and delivery performance, the presence of relational norms and customer perspectives of environmental uncertainty over the duration of the customer-supplier relationship. Customer commitments to suppliers during short, intermediate and long-term relationships are investigated with the results showing that the influences of performance, relational norms and environmental uncertainty differ as the duration of the relationship extends over time. These results also offer suppliers insights into how they could vary their marketing and sales strategies to influence customer loyalty over time.

Macneil's Relational Norms and His Non-mirrored Ends Propositions

Macneil (1978, 1980, 1983) believed different norms would apply at the different ends of his exchange continuum. This article explores this proposition in an industrial market and tests two null hypotheses: one, that there is no difference in the norms shaping decisions at the ends of the discrete and relational exchange continuum and two, the hypothesis that the relevant norms at the ends of the spectrum are not mirror images of each other. Since Macneils propositions have become the basis for research in law, management, and marketing, this study contributes to both theory development and measurement across a broad spectrum of research.

An exploratory study of factors associated with customer perceptions of paying above and below market prices

This paper studies the relationships between customer and supplier exchange benefits, relational marketing, customer size, environmental uncertainty, competition and industrial customer perceptions of when they are paying above or below market prices for their supplier product. The results indicate that customers perceive they are paying above average market prices in situations characterised by lower levels of customer exchange benefits, reduced supplier resource allocations, transactional relationships, high environmental uncertainty and elevated levels of competition. These results offer marketing managers with insights into factors associated with enhanced revenue through above market prices and factors associated with revenue reductions through below market prices.

Descriptive Models of Customer–Supplier Relationships in the Electronics Manufacturing Industry

ABSTRACT This paper is about customer–supplier relationships between original equipment manufacturers, contract electronics manufacturers, and component suppliers in the electronics manufacturing industry. This research provides descriptive models indicating when customers and suppliers chose closer collaboration, how they designed their information exchange and decision-making processes to achieve closer collaboration, and what issues prevented them from achieving closer collaboration. Specifically, 3 descriptive models are presented that illustrate the determinants that encouraged transactional versus collaborative relationships and the processes used to manage both types of relationships.

Pricing, purchasing and product performance factors associated with the relational exchanges of different sized customers

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to understand what pricing, purchasing, product defect and late deliveries factors are associated with the decisions of small, medium and large size customers to enter into closer customer‐supplier relationships with their suppliers.Dessign/methodology/approach – The study involves a survey of 372 professionals in the paper industry to investigate the linkage between pricing, purchasing efficiencies and reductions in product defects and later deliveries and relational exchanges across customers of different sizes and resources.Findings – The results indicate that the pricing, purchasing, product defect and late delivery factors associated with relational supply chain exchanges are different for small, medium and large size customers.Research limitations/implications – Data were collected from individuals’ perspectives of the customer‐supplier relationships within customer organization only and involved the exchange of one type of product. Similar studies need to b...

Relational focus in long duration buyer-seller relationships

There is limited research on the effects of accumulated shared experience on the nature or character of buyer-seller relationships that have extended beyond a few short years. The evidence presented here suggests that when buyer-seller exchanges are sustained over the long-term, the direct effect of duration on relational choice changes in buyer-seller relationships over time. Further, this study suggests that duration moderates the effects of several environmental variables drawn from resource dependency theory and transaction cost economics on relational focus. In light of this evidence we argue that duration must be integrated into contract theory to help us understand how organisations adapt to change.