Bemelmans, J; Voordijk, H; Vos, B and Buter, J (2012) Assessing buyer-supplier relationship management: Multiple case-study in the Dutch construction industry. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 138(1), pp. 163-176. ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
The objective of this paper is to shed light on obstacles to, and opportunities for, increasing the effectiveness of construction firms in managing buyer-supplier relationships. More specifically, the focus is on assessing the maturity level of buyer-supplier relationship management by construction firms. First, on the basis of a literature review and discussions with industry experts, five constructs were defined and, on the basis of these constructs, a measurement tool was developed. Following this, the maturity level in terms of the five constructs was assessed by applying the measurement tool in 19 Dutch construction firms. The results demonstrate a large potential for improved management of buyer-supplier relationships. Although there are major factors impeding, there are, at the same time, developments stimulating the effectiveness of managing buyer-supplier relationships. A useful next research step would be to determine the optimum portfolio of relationship types between contractors and suppliers in the construction industry.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | buyer-supplier relationships; maturity assessment; the Netherlands |
| Index terms: | effectiveness, relationship management, construction industry, maturity level, construction firm, Netherlands, literature review |
| Subjects: | performance management, management, evaluation, Geography, industry analysis, organization, data analysis and analytics |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Geographical Context, Business Strategy, Quality Management, Human Resources |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here