دانلود رایگان مقاله کاهش روابط خریدار و تامین کننده چشم انداز مبتنی بر هنجار

abstract

Positive buyer-supplier relationships rely on a set of underlying behavioral expectations held by individuals. These ‘norms’ regulate partner behaviors through a set of implicit (dis)incentives. Despite the importance of norms, few studies consider their role in relationship decline. Drawing on an in-depth ethnography, this study focuses on norms at the inter-personal level and at the inter-firm level to uncover how these subtle social rules affect relationship decline. The study identifies three key phases of relationship decline: unawareness, divergence and degeneration. The study also considers the role of individuals' bounded reliability and its contribution to norms violations. We identify two new elements (perceptual inconsistencies and divergent schema) that appear active early in relationship decline and that contribute to other elements of bounded reliability. The findings yield a theoretically grounded, empirically informed framework of relationship decline, with direct relevance to complex buyer-supplier relationships, particularly in capital and technology intensive industries.

5. Discussion

5.1. Theoretical implications, limitations and future research Observations that relationships decline over time are not new (Terawatanavong, 2007; Wang & Huff, 2007). However, previous studies do not consider the role of norms in this process except in broad terms, which has led to a range of calls for further research in this area (Berthon et al., 2003; Ott & Ivens, 2009; Palmatier et al., 2007). Similarly, research into buyer-supplier relationships tends to ignore the individual-level perspective, with this also leading to calls for further research (Wathne & Heide, 2000; Williamson, 1975, 1985). This also highlights a need to consider the interactions between inter-firm and the individual levels of analysis (Wathne & Heide, 2000; Williamson, 1975, 1985). In responding to these calls, the present study offers a suite of important contributions to theory in this area.