Impact of supplier relationship management practices on buying firm performance: comparison of the United States and China

In 2007, Krause, Handfield, and Tyler examined the relationship between various aspects of social capital and buyer performance in the buyer-supplier dyad by surveying buying firms within the United States. This study extends the (Krause et al. in J Oper Manag 25:528–545, 2007) study by replicating it in two different contexts (industry and China). The original study was conducted in the automotive and electronic industries in the United States, while the current study was conducted in both manufacturing and service industries in the United States and China. We found that the difference of information sharing between the two United States populations is the only difference attributed to industry differences. Overall, study results indicate that buyer commitment positively impacted buying firm performance in China; while buyer commitment and shared values impacted buying firm performance in the United States. These findings suggest that certain aspects of social capital are important in China, but differences do exist between the two countries that may be attributed to culture. Therefore, researchers should consider the impact of country culture when conducting studies in China.