Buyer-Supplier Relationships and the Resource- Advantage Perspective: An Illustrative Example of Relational and Transactional Drivers of Competitiveness
Rašković Matevž, Makovec Brenčič Maja
Keywords:
relationship-based view, resource-advantage theory of competition, transnational companies, buyer-supplier
relationships, competitiveness
Abstract:
The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how the so called resource-advantage perspective can
be used to determine the importance of specific relational and transactional dimensions of buyer-
supplier relationships in driving relationship competitiveness within a transnational company
(TNC). The main objective of our research was to analyze which and how much specific relational
and/or transactional dimensions of buyer-supplier relationships affect TNC buyer-supplier
relationship competitiveness. Based on an illustrative empirical example, we tested a simple
variance-based reflective Structural Equation Model (SEM) with main effects based on a sample
of 130 TNC buyer-supplier relationships. Our results show that buyer-supplier relationship competitiveness
is mostly driven by interpersonal trust and joint problem solving (both relational
determinants), as well as by two kinds of transaction-specific investments (TSIs), namely investments
into people and physical assets. In terms of theoretical implications, our results show that
the resource-advantage theory of competition can link both the relationship marketing and the
transaction cost economics perspective of buyer-supplier relationship management. We further
provide some managerial recommendations for more effective management of TNC buyer-supplier
relationships in terms of leveraging competitiveness.
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10.7441/joc.2013.01.02
Rašković M., Makovec Brenčič M. (2013). Buyer-Supplier Relationships and the Resource-
Advantage Perspective: An Illustrative Example
of Relational and Transactional Drivers
of Competitiveness. Journal of Competitiveness, 5 (1), 16-38 https://doi.org/10.7441/joc.2013.01.02
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