Organizations frequently rely on the support of external parties to access necessary resources. In many cases, the resulting buyer-supplier relationships last for decades; some might even become indispensable for one or both parties in achieving its desired business goals. These dependencies between organizations are ubiquitous. This book focuses on such instances, discussing them in a cumulative manner: It begins with an introduction of previous research on the issue, before empirically explaining the emergence of dependencies, their different forms of existence and management approaches as well as its development over time. This book is of special interest for scholars focusing on dyadic partnerships within the domains of industrial marketing, supply chain management or strategic purchasing. Practitioners involved in managing long term buyer-supplier relationships in goods- as well as service-oriented industries might find it insightful as well.

Is your company delivering products to customers at the right time, place, and price—with the best possible availability and lowest possible cost and working capital? If not, you’re probably alienating your customers and suppliers, eroding shareholder value, and losing control of your fixed costs. These dangerous mistakes can put you out of business. In The New Supply Chain Agenda, Reuben Slone, J. Paul Dittmann, and John Mentzer explain how to reinvent your supply chain to avoid those errors—and turn your supply chain into a competitive weapon that produces unprecedented economic profit for your firm. Drawing on a wealth of company examples, the authors show how to activate the five levers of supply chain excellence: • Putting the right people with the right skills in the right jobs • Leveraging supply chain technologies such as system optimization and visibility tools • Eliminating cross-functional disconnects, including SKU proliferation • Collaborating with suppliers and customers to generate a seamless flow of information and supply chain improvements • Managing supply chain projects skillfully Apply the steps in this book, and you build a supply chain that delivers as it should—without leaving money on the table.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper to examine what kind of supplier relationship management activities can be seen as value creating activities and how those might affect the buyer's dependence on its suppliers. Power and dependence provide specific insights into the supplier relationship management and value creation in supply chains.Design/methodology/approach - Applying the strategic-choice theory and the resource based view of firms to the supply chain, in this study a research model was developed to demonstrate the premise that implementing proper value crating supplier relationship to support and execute supply chain strategy that will enhance the buyer's dependence of its suppliers. The study utilizes survey data from 100 senior executives and managers in the purchasing, distributions and supply chain functions from manufacturing firms in Malaysia. The results are based on regression analysis and equation modelling by using SPSS software.Findings - The findings of the study indicate that the value-creating activities of inter-firm learning, early supplier involvement and supplier orientation increase buyer's dependence.Practical Implications - The results have implications for supply chain manager and practitioners in terms of shedding light on the approaches of dependence and value creation at the same time. Managers need to understand the factors that create dependence, but which also have a substantial influence on value creation in supply chain networks.Originality/value - The literature review reveals that the supply chain situations in which the supplier is strategically important and its role in the value-creation process is significant and when the buyer is dependent on the supplier, have rarely been discussed. Moreover, by focusing on the supplier relationship management activities that can be seen as value-creating activities and by combining this to the dependence perspective, this study aims to narrow the research gap identified from previous research.

The performance related issues of buyer-supplier relationship have attracted both the academic and corporate managers. The study attempts to make theoretical contributions to the literature on relationships in marketing channels. Compared with the impact of the often-investigated construct of dependence structure, the impact of channel function performance on relationship quality is relatively large. This study has been conducted in reference to the suppliers of office equipments serving to the industrial accounts in Mexico. The study addresses broadly the issues as to what extent is the impact of quality performance responsible for doing business with the organizational buyers. Discussions also analyze the impact of channel function performance on relationship quality, which is moderated by the extent dependence structure of the relationship.

Verna Allee, whose groundbreaking book 'The Knowledge Evolution' helped usher in the exploding field of knowledge management, has brought her experience-tested insights into an exciting new synthesis, penetrating to the very heart of value creation. 'The Future of Knowledge' strips away traditional business thinking to reveal the new patterns of management thought and practice essential for success in a more complex world. With a gift for making the complex simple and practical, Allee weaves together diverse threads such as business webs, communities of practice, knowledge technologies, intangibles, network analysis, and biology to show why organizations must be supported as living systems before their natural networked pattern of organization can emerge. Embodying Allee's visionary approach, 'The Future of Knowledge' brings forward a practical view of new theories, frameworks, tools, and methods offering businesses a guide to managing the increasing levels of complexity within their organizations and in society at large. 'The Future of Knowledge' works on many levels: * At the strategic level, the new tools are intangible scorecards and understanding value networks * At the tactical level, the knowledge management tools for exchanging and applying knowledge are knowledge networks and communities of practice * At the operational level, a wealth of new technologies is supporting the codification, storage and delivery of the knowledge people need to complete their routine tasks.

This book makes an important contribution to current debates both in business strategy and supply management. It explains why an understanding of the concept of power is critical to the appropriate management of relationships between buyers and suppliers in extended supply chain networks and indicates how power can be used to explain the unique patterns of profitability in different networks.