A. Walter et al., Value creation in buyer-seller relationships - Theoretical considerations and empirical results from a supplier's perspective, IND MKT MAN, 30(4), 2001, pp. 365-377
The essential purpose for a supplier and customer firm engaging in a relati
onship is to work together in a way that creates value for them. Various im
portant functions of business relationships in creating value for the partn
er firms are widely assumed in the literature. However, there is a lack of
empirical studies due to the absence of conceptual definition. Furthermore,
there is a strong concentration on value for customers neglecting that val
ue is also created for suppliers. In this study, the authors take the suppl
ier's perspective and conceptualize value creation as a set of direct and i
ndirect functions of customer relationships. The functions are characterize
d with respect to performed activities and employed resources of a customer
firm. The findings from an empirical study of more than 200 firms show tha
t both direct and indirect functions of customer relationships contribute t
o the value perceived by the supplier. The results of this study have consi
derable consequences for the management of inter-organizational relationshi
ps and networks regarding the process of how value can be created in busine
ss markets. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.