The paper explores the impact that modularization is having on the structure of supply chains in general and on the role of Ž rst-tier suppliers in particular. Two concepts are presented to illustrate Ž rstly the need to redeŽ ne the term ‘Ž rst-tier’ supplier and secondly to determine how and why value can be transferred within a modular supply chain. The Ž rst concept, the ‘continuum of Ž rst...

Social bonds are crucial for the success of buyer-supplier relationships. This paper investigates whether individual social preferences may explain inter-firm social bonds built on trust and reciprocity in supply chain relationships. The research questions are explored by means of a case study involving the first-tier suppliers of a large organization in the automotive component sector. The res...

Over the past two decades, the automotive industry has experienced major changes as a result of globalisation, changing customer requirements and environmental legislation. The supplier integration in the new product development process is a significant step in facilitating reduction in the time to market of innovations and reducing costs. The aim of this work is to assess the extent of supplie...

In a dynamic environment such as a supply chain, even basic supplier-customer systems with structurally simple information and material flow formations have a tendency to exhibit operational complexity. The operational complexity of supplier-customer systems is associated with the uncertainty of information and material flows within and across organizations. Operational complexity or dynamic co...

Research on trust in buyer–supplier relationships has tended to focus on the performance outcomes of a trusting relationship, as well as the processes that serve to build trust. Largely absent from the buyer–supplier literature is an in-depth examination of activities that break down trust, and the resulting effect on supplier trust in the buyer. The authors propose and test amodel that evaluat...

As suppliers provide more value in today’s supply chains, eliciting supplier cost-reduction efforts and inducing supplier competition are two important levers for a buyer to reduce sourcing costs. In this paper, we study a buyer’s sourcing strategy considering supplier effort and competition. The buyer has two instruments in her strategy: the composition of the supply base and the contracting m...

Supplier selection in food supply chains (FSCs) is not much explored due to the inherent difficulties, complexities and nature of industry. Food security quality are top row topics today’s world health scenario. During sudden crisis, it needs extra attention where producers, suppliers, stakeholders play most vital roles. This paper puts forward a two-phase sustainable multi-tier supplier model ...

We compare buyer-supplier links established by pairs of Japanese-owned automobile assemblers and component manufacturers operating in Japan and in North America during 198%90. Eight assemblers and more than I70 Japanese component manufacturers had established North American manufacturing facilities. In total, Japanese automobile assembly organizations operating in North America had recreated ab...

Executive Summary Supply base reduction and supplier performance measurement can be useful tools in developing closer relationships with suppliers. After successfully reducing its supply base, one company in the transportation industry achieved additional value from its supply base by utilizing a supplier performance measurement system with its remaining suppliers. This best practices report br...

Consider a two-level inventory system consisting of one supplier and one retailer. The retailer faces a Poisson demand with a known rate and applies base stock (one-for-one ordering) policy. That is, his inventory position is set to a pre-determined level, so the demand pattern is transferred exactly to the supplier. The supplier has an inventory system and a service unit with exponentially dis...