K. Langfieldsmith et Mr. Greenwood, DEVELOPING COOPERATIVE BUYER-SUPPLIER RELATIONSHIPS - A CASE-STUDY OFTOYOTA, Journal of management studies, 35(3), 1998, pp. 331-353
Over recent years many businesses have recognized that there are stron
g competitive advantages in developing co-operative partnerships with
suppliers. An important challenge for many companies is to identify th
e factors to enable them to move from relationships characterized by s
trong buyer power and bargaining position, to partnerships based on tr
ust and co-operation. The purpose of this paper is to consider factors
that may influence the development of co-operative buyer-supplier rel
ationships, A case study is presented which illustrates the developing
relationship between an automotive manufacturer, Toyota Australia, an
d its suppliers, as part of a new supplier strategy. Several factors a
re proposed which provide areas for further research. These include th
e consideration of similarities between the industry and technologies
of buyer and suppliers, prior experiences of change among suppliers, e
ffective communications between buyer and suppliers, and the importanc
e of experiential learning in the acceptance of change.