Robert E. Spekman

Alliance Competence, Resources, and Alliance Success: Conceptualization, Measurement, and Initial Test

This research examines the effect of an alliance competence on resource-based alliance success. The fundamental thesis guiding this research is that an alliance competence contributes to alliance success, both directly and through the acquisition and creation of resources. Using survey data gathered from 145 alliances, empirical tests of the hypotheses provide support for the posited explanation of alliance success. The findings indicate that an alliance competence is not only antecedent to the resources that are necessary for alliance success but also to alliance success itself.

Risky business: expanding the discussion on risk and the extended enterprise

The notion of risk is receiving greater attention in research on supply chain management by academics and practitioners alike. As firms collaborate and combine forces to compete as extended enterprises against other integrated supply chains, risk is linked to the interdependence among supply chain partners. Academic interests appear to focus mostly on the risks associated with logistics and its impact on the timely delivery of goods. Beyond these concerns, the events of 9/11 have heightened consideration for supply chain risks related to possible security breaches and terrorism. This paper highlights six areas of supply chain‐related risks. It discusses these risks at length, showing how they are endemic to the extended enterprise, and attempts to develop a typology for categorizing them. It also addresses the implications for supply chain managers as they balance a concern for risk with their efforts to search for, select, nurture, and manage their set of supply chain partners.

An empirical investigation into supply chain management: a perspective on partnerships

States that we have witnessed, over the last several years, a profound change in understanding the dynamics of competitive advantage. Managers now acknowledge that a firm’s success is tied, in part, to the strength of its weakest supply chain partner. This paper develops the concept of supply chain management and argues that only through close collaborative linkages through the entire supply chain, can one fully achieve the benefits of cost reduction and revenue enhancing behaviors. Data are presented that look at a range of supply chain management practices and processes. By examining differences in practices and processes between buyers and sellers, along with the supply chain, attempts to understand better the challenges facing managers who espouse supply chain management. Also proposes a change in mind set for the traditional procurement manager and present insights for him/her to adapt to the requirements of the new competition.

ALLIANCE MANAGEMENT: A VIEW FROM THE PAST AND A LOOK TO THE FUTURE*

The literature on strategic alliances has focused mainly on issues related to alliance formation and the reasons why firms form these partnerships. Yet the large number of failures would suggest that there exists a gap between an understanding of alliance formation and the practice of alliance management. The purpose of this paper is to narrow that gap. We begin with a review of the extant state-ofknowledge and then discuss areas in which further insight can be gained. More specifically, the remainder of the paper focuses on issues related to managing alliances over time and the role of the alliance manager, a linch-pin in the alliance management process.

Social Exchange Theory and Research on Business-to-Business Relational Exchange

ABSTRACT Social exchange theory (SET) has been used extensively by marketing scholars to explain business-to-business relational exchange. Despite its popularity as a theoretical explanatory mechanism, there is no recent literature review that delineates SETs foundational premises, how it has been used in the marketing literature, and its theoretical limitations. This article provides such a review and is intended to assist researchers who wish to use SET to examine business-to-business relational exchange.

A Strategic Approach to Managing Buyer‐Seller Relationships

Business marketers need strategic frameworks to assess the value of a portfolio of buyer‐seller relationships and to decide how they should be managed. By drawing on insights from the political economy, resource dependence, relational contracting and transaction cost perspectives, previous work on portfolios of trading relationships is extended and updated and avenues for future research are suggested.

Strategic supply and the management of inter- and intra-organisational relationships

Abstract As companies attempt to shed old habits and begin to view procurement as a strategic resource from which a competitive advantage can be gained, there is a great deal of corporate baggage that must be shed. More importantly, there is a new mindset that must be instilled both in procurement and across the firm. Strategic supply symbolizes the importance of enterprise wide thinking where functional units inside the firm and key suppliers from the firms supply chain all work in concert to bring value to the marketplace. This paper presents data from the US and the UK that helps us better understand and address issues that are key to managing across independent supply chain partners. We also address some of the barriers to implementing such a supply strategy. These barriers exist inside the firm as well as between the firms at its key suppliers. Whilst we acknowledge that progress is being made, however the data suggest that the journey is far from over.

Interimistic Relational Exchange: Conceptualization and Propositional Development

Research on relational exchange has focused primarily on long-term, or “enduring,” relational exchange. The evolutionary model of relationship development that is the foundation for much of the research on enduring relational exchange lacks applicability for short-term, or “interimitic,” relational exchange. Interimistic relational exchange is defined as a close, collaborative, fast-developing, short-lived exchange relationship in which companies pool their skills and/or resources to address a transient, albeit important, business opportunity and/or threat. Because interimistic exchange relationships must quickly become functional and have a short life, these relationships have less time to fully develop the relational governance mechanisms assumed in the evolutionary model. There-fore, interimistic relational exchange appears to relymore on nonrelational mechanisms than does enduring relational exchange. This article (1) examines how interimistic relational exchange governance differs from that of enduring relational exchange and (2) develops propositions for further research on interimistic relational exchange.

Creating strategic alliances which endure

Abstract Despite the documented growth of alliances on a global basis, managers focus too much attention on questions of aliance formation and spend too little effort attempting to understand the process of alliance management. This research reports the results of an in-depth analysis of a number of international alliances. We demonstrate that successful alliances depend on both business and interpersonal relationships, and that the demands of each varies over the alliances life cycle. We also show the central role played by the alliance manager.

RFID: from concept to implementation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive overview of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. The goal is to provide insights regarding the implementation and use of RFID by focusing on its advantages and its problems.Design/methodology/approach – The paper discusses, what RFID is, how its parts fit; what role management plays in its implementation, and where the pitfalls are.Findings – RFID is discussed as the latest technology to help manage the logistics and inventory problems faced by all companies. Not only has RFID been shown to provide benefits for the firm in its internal operations; its greatest contribution lies in its ability to improve information and materials flows throughout the entire supply chain. With RFID technology visibility in materials flow (from raw material to finished goods) among all supply chain members is improved and the accuracy of the information shared is greatly enhanced. Equally important is the role played by RFID in the development of ...