The impact of purchasing integration and practices on manufacturing performance

Purchasing integration remains an under-researched concept, despite being d escribed as a key competence in the literature. This study explicates the c oncept of purchasing integration and examines its relationships with purcha sing practices and manufacturing performance. Purchasing integration refers to the integration of strategic purchasing practices and goals with a firm 's objectives. Alternative models linking purchasing integration to purchas ing practices and manufacturing performance are hypothesized and tested usi ng empirical data. Purchasing integration was found to moderate the relatio nship between purchasing practices and manufacturing performance. Increased investments in purchasing integration were observed to lead to higher perf ormance returns from investments in purchasing practices. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V All rights reserved.