Tradeoffs in Supplier Attribute Ratings in Supplier Selection across Strategic versus Non-Strategic Purchases

ABSTRACT

Purpose: This research identifies a customer perspective that is often ignored, neglected, or undervalued in B-to-B sales – the nature of the product itself. The pivot point is whether the product/service desired is strategic (critical to the company’s mission) or non-strategic (not critical to the company’s mission).

Methodology/Approach: A conjoint analysis was conducted for both types of purchases (strategic and non-strategic), assessing the tradeoffs and espoused preferences of four key attributes involving both the supplier and the product across three performance levels – (1) stability of the supplier, (2) reliability, (3) competitive pricing and (4) product quality.

Findings: The results indicate that B-to-B customers do make tradeoffs between suppliers based on stability, reliability, pricing and product quality. The direction of the tradeoffs depends on whether the purchase is a strategic or non-strategic acquisition. The results suggest that suppliers would benefit from understanding the relationship of their products and services to the B-to-B customer’s mission when the supplier is deciding how to improve performance.

Research implications: Too often there is a disconnect between B-to-B salespeople and their customers resulting in suppliers failing to reach performance goals. The research focuses on the importance of B-to-B salespeople uncovering whether or not the customer considers the nature of the product being considered as strategic or non-strategic to their business. The research helps to explain some of the mixed findings in the supplier selection literature.

Practical implications: The research points to the fact that customers analyze and make decisions differently depending on the type of product. Additionally, the research highlights the importance to customers of understanding the potential legal and financial risk of suppliers. This is important in that traditionally suppliers tend to focus on product features and benefits in their selling efforts. These results indicate that they should spend significant time discussing factors that illustrate legal and financial risk reduction to the customer of dealing with their companies.

Originality/Value/Contribution: The study offers a new look at an age-old problem of enhancing sales performance through a new lens by considering the nature of the product (strategic versus non-strategic) through the perspective of the customer. The findings help to explain the mixed results of previous research. To date, the nature of the product and tradeoffs of attributes that customers are willing to make depending on that product classification have not been the focus, though the results suggest that understanding customer decision-making through this lens may enhance supplier success.     

Supplier price concessions: A longitudinal empirical study

The competitive nature of today’s business-to-business markets requires companies to continually look for ways to reduce costs; one of the easiest of which is to demand price reductions from suppliers. In this research, price reduction demands and the corresponding concessions given by 238 suppliers to the six major North American Automotive original equipment manufacturers during 2001–2007 are analyzed utilizing a simultaneous equation model. The three stage least squares estimates indicate that suppliers are willing to give higher price concessions when buyers align specific interfacing characteristics and processes with their suppliers so that the suppliers perceive greater opportunities for future business and profit. These results provide, for the first time, an understanding of the dynamic nature of the impact of buyer–supplier relational components on supplier price concessions.

Supplier diversity and supply chain management: A strategic approach

Although purchasing trends are moving toward consolidation, a strong economic argument can be made for supplier diversity. In fact, most Fortune 500 companies currently employ supplier diversity initiatives. If integrated into the overall corporate strategy, supplier diversity can become a source of competitive advantage for corporations. In order for such integration to successfully occur, however, the initiative must have top management commitment, a supportive culture, and the availability of champions to promote the proposal. Minority suppliers, in turn, need to realize that their failure or success in this highly competitive environment depends on their ability to continually develop overall competences, to be learning organizations, and to become increasingly attuned to and adept at building strategic alliances amongst themselves and with their corporate customers. In these respects, they can make use of intermediary organizations (such as local supplier councils) to improve their competences and competitive edge.     

制造业供应链评价的质量指标实证研究

本文通过调查中国制造企业全面的质量管理水平,将调查结果应用于灰色关联度理论评价供应商,评价结果显示,全面的质量管理水平指标能够有效地区别企业之间的管理水平差异,优于采用产品合格率指标的评价方法。     

供应链模式下制造企业选择供应商的模糊方法

在制造企业的供应链管理中,供应商选择在企业采购中具有重要地位,因此,如何正确选择供应商就成为一个重要课题。本文提出了供应商选择的模糊评价方法,并进行了实例分析,结果显示具有较好的使用价值。     

基于知识和谐的结盟型供应商选择评价模型

市场竞争的加剧促使企业谋求通过加强链上的竞争力来获取竞争优势,选择合适的供应商结盟将成为企业新的竞争优势来源。在企业与供应商的合作中将发生知识的交互转移,知识和谐将比质量、价格等更应成为企业选择供应商的准则。通过构建核心企业与供应商的知识交互转移模型,分析核心企业的知识和谐机制以及结盟的绩效来源,从知识合作与知识适配两方面构建基于知识和谐的结盟型供应商选择评价指标体系,并选择证据推理方法对企业选择评价供应商进行实证,旨为企业合理选择供应商结盟提供了新的思路与评价体系。     

连锁零售企业供应商评价指标体系构建研究

分析生产企业和零售企业在选择评价供应商时的差异,总结已有指标体系在设计方面存在的不足,结合连锁零售企业的经营特点,构建连锁零售企业选择和评价供应商的指标体系,为连锁零售企业在实际应用中提供帮助,使其能挑选出较为合适的供应商。     

基于灰色理论的人力资源外包供应商评价

在人力资源外包过程中选择最佳的人力资源外包供应商作为合作伙伴,对企业成功实施人力资源外包有着决定性影响。本文引入递阶多层次灰色评价法以及熵技术,在评价指标体系的基础上结合专家打分,进行外包供应商的灰色评价与选择,为企业正确评价选择外包供应商提供了一种科学有效的方法。     

Measuring the Consequences of Using Diverse Supplier Evaluation Teams: A Performance Frontier Perspective

This article focuses on the postperformance evaluation of a supplier set by a buyer evaluation team. It explores the use of data envelopment analysis and the assurance region technique to measure the impact that conforming or disparate evaluation teams can have on the perception of supplier performance. As a result, this work makes the case for moving the notion of performance scorecards usage to the next level. For researchers the work demonstrates the case for dual accountability and the construction of performance frontiers motivated by an actual setting using many of the important dimensions discussed in the empirical literature. For managers, the work demonstrates one way of action‐based decision making in performance management that recommends courses of action in the buyer–supplier interface. Several other practice‐based interpretations for managers are also discussed.     

客户资源价值评价体系设计

对客户资源价值进行评价,以识别高价值客户是企业价值最大化的要求。目前企业在这方面的工作有很大的不足,而且现有的客户生命周期价值评价体系虽然在理论上可以实现对客户资源价值的评价,但实际操作困难。针对这种情况,在深入分析客户资源价值内涵的基础上设计一个新的评价体系,从客户当前价值、未来价值、非货币价值、潜在价值和保持价值五个方面进行指标设计,将对客户生命周期价值的计算转化为对一系列指标的打分,解决了客户资源价值评价的可操作性问题,将有助于企业正确开展客户关系活动。     

浅析不同营销方式对消费者的影响

面对日新月异的互联网技术,如今的营销传播越来越像是一种公司和消费者之间的私人对话。营销人员也在每时每刻让自己的品牌成为消费者谈论的对象。个性化的宣传以及在恰当的时间对恰当的人讲述,是营销人员成功的关键因素。在本文中,我们将讨论公司如何才能将他们的营销方式变的个性化,从而获得更多的影响力。文中首先我们要评价直销和互动营销,接下来我们将讨论口碑营销,最后讨论人员营销和销售团队。     

价值评估在项目财务评价中的应用

伴随着中国经济体制改革的深入和现代企业制度的推行,企业并购的经济交易行为不断增多,企业价值评估的应用空间得到了极大的拓展,已经不仅仅应用于产权的交易,还可以为投资方的定价决策提供依据.本文结合项目实际探讨价值评估如何应用于项目财务评价中并为项目的定价决策提供依据.     

Effects of Consumer Weight Level and Advertising Appeals on Consumer Attitude Toward Food and Advertisements

This study examines the link between consumer weight level, food type, and consumer attitude toward both food and food advertisements. Further, this research explores how food advertisements containing emotional or informational claims influence the attitudes of overweight and normal-weight consumers. Two experiments were conducted to study the interaction between weight levels, food types (meat vs. vegetables), and advertising appeals (emotional vs. informational). The results showed mixed support for the six hypotheses. The findings indicate that consumer weight level interacts with food types, and emotional/information appeals affecting food evaluation and attitudes toward food advertisements. Managerial implications for food manufacturers and advertisers are discussed.     

Thinking critically about critical thinking: Assessing critical thinking of business students using multiple measures

Critical thinking is a skill that potential employers expect all graduates to possess. Hence, most business management programs consider critical thinking as an important student learning goal. Unfortunately, there is ambiguity about how to best assess critical thinking, both as a skill and a learning outcome. The authors empirically demonstrate how they measure the critical thinking ability of their students in different settings, and how their critical thinking ability improves as they progress through the business program.     

电子商务环境下客户价值评价模型研究

本文分析了在电子商务环境下对客户价值进行评价的必要性,在传统的客户价值评价指标的基础之上结合电子商务的特点提出了电子商务环境下的客户价值评价指标,并且结合层次分析法,构建出电子商务环境下的客户价值评价模型。     

外资收购中的国内品牌价值评估

在世界经济进一步全球化、自由化发展的环境下 ,品牌已成为企业的战略性资源与企业管理的核心 ,是企业竞争优势和长期利润的基础。品牌价值评估方法已被当作尖端的商业评估工具而广为使用。在外资收购我国品牌价值评估中存在品牌价值被忽视和没有找到合适的评估方法两大误区 ,使我国企业蒙受重大损失。我国对品牌价值评估不妨采用成本法、市场比较法和收益法 ,以便更能反映品牌的真实价值     

企业价值增长的评价

结合feltham-ohlson股权估价模型和增长期权的理论与方法,构建企业价值增长评价模型。对价值增长额进行度量时既考虑到了“已到位”资产水平上长期价值的增长,又考虑到未来增长机会带来的价值增长。另外,模型通过引入feltham-ohlson搭建了价值增长额与会计数据的桥梁,为投资者的投资分析提供了方便条件。     

对劳动价值论的几点再认识

劳动价值论是马克思强有力的分析工具,至今仍具有很强的应用价值。商品经济条件下,信息、技术、企业家才能是新的生产要素。其中信息、技术属于生产资料,其本身不创造价值,企业家才能是一种特殊的劳动力。企业家和科技、信息工作者的劳动同工人的劳动一样是价值创造的重要源泉。我国现阶段消灭剥削的途径在于劳动力转化为资本。     

Assessing Value Co-Creation and New Product Success from Cultural Orientations and Relationship Marketing Perspectives

This study's main objective was to assess value co-creation and new product success among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Indonesia by incorporating cultural orientations and relationship marketing perspectives. The samples were purposely selected in two sectors: handcraft and food and drink. They were approached through a door-to-door distribution of the questionnaires. The findings indicated that relationship quality can enhance value co-creation and new product success when SMEs have a favorable combination of learning, market, and entrepreneurial orientations. However, this study suggests that SMEs do not utilize their relationships as arenas for learning and learning orientation can affect relationship quality only when it is supported by the other orientations.     

阿马蒂亚·森的价值限制定理研究

在简单介绍投票悖论的基础上 ,较系统地阐述了阿马蒂亚·森解决投票悖论问题的对策———价值限制定理 ,并对其进行了较为客观的评价。