Supplier development and public procurement: allies, coaches and bedfellows

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 550-563 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Mark McKevitt ◽  
Paul Davis
Keyword(s):  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Political Support ◽  
Supplier Development ◽  
Supplier Relationships ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategic Approach ◽  
Strategic Perspective ◽  
Mentoring Support

Purpose – Using the lens of mentoring theory the authors test the extent to which public buyers informally support suppliers and the influence of organisational context on mentoring support. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Principal component analysis was used to analyse questionnaire responses from over 300 public buyers in Ireland. Cluster analysis produced three mentor profiles. Findings – The findings show a positive relationship between organisations that take a strategic approach to suppliers and buyers who offer career and psychosocial support to suppliers. However, those organisations that lack a strategic perspective of suppliers saw buyers offer political support and coaching. Research limitations/implications – The implications are that coaching and political support may compensate for deficits in organisational support for suppliers generally. The findings contribute to a growing literature on informal interaction opportunities in public procurement. Originality/value – To date research of supplier development is limited to formal developmental activities and in the context of private sector buyer-supplier relationships.

A transaction cost approach for public procurement

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aksel I. Rokkan ◽  
Sven A. Haugland
Keyword(s):  
Transaction Cost ◽  
Transaction Cost Economics ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Public Agencies ◽  
Private Companies ◽  
Supplier Relationships ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Market Governance

Purpose This paper aims to develop a theoretical framework based on transaction cost economics that identifies key factors shaping public agencies’ governance of supplier relationships and related performance implications. Design/methodology/approach The paper presents an extended transaction cost framework for research on public procurement (PP) with a corresponding set of propositions. Transaction cost theory and specific features of and challenges to the PP function identified in extant literature constitute the main elements of the framework. Findings This conceptual paper makes three sets of proposals. First, public agencies tend to rely on market governance of supplier relationships and when PP deploys non-market governance, such governance tends to be of a unilateral (vs bilateral) kind. Second, increases in purchasing competence and autonomy of PP and particularly if implemented in tandem, will reduce PP’s overreliance on market governance and increase PP’s use of non-market governance. Third, PP should perform better for less complex transactions – and when contracting complexity relates to safeguarding of specific assets rather than when complexity relates to environmental and behavioral uncertainty. Increases in competence and autonomy should increase PP’s performance, particularly for complex transactions. Practical implications Public agencies may be in a better position to align governance solutions with transaction complexities by developing their procurement competence, decentralizing procurement decisions and increasing the flexibility of national and international procurement regulations. Private companies selling to public agencies need to be aware of and able to adapt to PP practices such as extensive use of market governance and unilateral governance as the primary form of non-market governance. Social implications The paper discusses how public agencies can improve procurement performance through better alignment of governance of supplier relationships with transaction attributes and thereby increase the quality of public services. Originality/value The paper relies on a well-established theoretical perspective, enabling identification (and, potentially, correction) of governance misalignment in the public sector.

Public procurement capabilities as engines for collaboration and enhanced performance in complex projects

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliana Bonomi Santos ◽  
Sandro Cabral
Keyword(s):  
Public Procurement ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Supplier Relationships ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Accountability Standards ◽  
Policy Debates ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
Complex Projects ◽  
Contracting Process

PurposeThis paper explores how public buyers' capabilities promote collaboration with private suppliers to obtain enhanced performance in complex projects.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted two case studies on the procurement of complex military projects by the Brazilian armed forces involving public buyers and private suppliers. The authors followed the Gioia methodology to inductively analyze data from interviews, official documents, media articles and project meeting notes.FindingsThe authors identified public procurement capabilities that are antecedents of collaborative trust-based relationships with suppliers in complex public-private projects. The authors unpack these capabilities in three subsets: abilities to manage the bidding and contracting process, to handle relationships with prominent stakeholders, such as audit control bodies and to manage knowledge acquired within and across current and past projects. By developing these capabilities, public buyers can build collaborative trust-based relationships with suppliers, which enable the conciliation of operational performance (i.e. on-time delivery, budget and scope compliance) and policy goals (i.e. inclusion of local suppliers in supply chains).Originality/valueThe authors extend the literature on the enablers of trust and collaboration in buyer-supplier relationships by providing a detailed account of which capabilities are necessary on the buyer side in complex projects, especially when accountability standards create barriers for collaborative practices. The authors also reinforce the importance of the operations and supply chain management scholarship in policy debates by showing how buyer-supplier interactions can create value in complex projects with public and private sectors.

Acknowledging knowledge

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam M. Williams ◽  
Fion Lau ◽  
Clifford P. McCue
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Negotiation Process ◽  
Core Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Domains ◽  
Contract Administration ◽  
Future Work

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the knowledge public procurement professionals perceive as important for performing their duties. Design/methodology/approach Using secondary data generated from a job analysis study commissioned by the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council [UPPCC], this paper examined the knowledge sets that procurement officials recognize as necessary and sufficient for daily operations and professional development. Findings Principal Component Analysis is used to validate the six domains of knowledge covered on the survey. This paper identifies sets of core knowledge domains that are essential for procurement administration, including sourcing, negotiation process, contract administration, supply management and strategic procurement planning. Originality/value Furthermore, the authors incorporated anecdotal commentary information from the same survey to determine what additional professional development and continuing education opportunities procurement officials are seeking to improve performance in their current and future work roles.

Buyer–supplier relationships in IT outsourcing: consultants’ perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 1215-1236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Lucia Martins ◽  
Henrique Duarte ◽  
Daniela Costa
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
It Outsourcing ◽  
Supplier Development ◽  
Supplier Relationships ◽  
Relationship Type ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Supply Chain Relationships ◽  
Strategic Relationships ◽  
Relational Management ◽  
Supplier Relationship

Purpose Supply chain relationships have often been analysed from the macro-perspective of the companies involved, but there is less evidence of how relationships relate to the micro-perspective of persons involved. The purpose of this paper is to investigate, in IT outsourcing (ITO), how the buyer–supplier relationship type strengthens buyer performance from the perspective of consultants. Design/methodology/approach IT consultants were surveyed, and analysis was performed considering the aggregated values of variables that characterise buyer–supplier relationships adjusted to ITO. Findings The results show that strategic relationships are associated with higher supplier investment in relational management than in transactional ones. Similarly, in this type of relationship, higher levels of trust are linked to the recognition of more activities shared between parties involved than in transactional relationships. The improvement of supplier development by buyers was also found to improve buyers’ performance. Research limitations/implications The model proposed here was developed for nonspecific industries but tested in the context of ITO. Further research should be undertaken to broaden generalisability. Originality/value The paper provides an understanding of the influence of the buyer–supplier relationship type on buyer performance based both on relational management and, more specifically, how the formal dimension of supplier development can also contribute to performance. ITO is increasing worldwide, and relational management affects outsourcing outcomes in broad supply chain integration. This analysis is usually visited from buyer and supplier perspectives using decision makers. This paper assesses it from the perspective of consultants.

Country of origin branding: an integrative perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 322-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roderick J. Brodie ◽  
Maureen Benson-Rea
Keyword(s):  
Country Of Origin ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Business Relationships ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Meaning ◽  
Value Propositions ◽  
Illustrative Case Study ◽  
Strategic Perspective

Purpose A new conceptualization of the process of country of origin (COO) branding based on fresh theoretical foundations is developed. This paper aims to provide a strategic perspective that integrates extant views of COO branding, based on identity and image, with a relational perspective based on a process approach to developing collective brand meaning. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review of the literature on COO branding and geographical indicators is undertaken, together with a review of contemporary research on branding. Our framework conceptualizes COO branding as an integrating process that aligns a network of relationships to co-create collective meaning for the brand’s value propositions. Findings An illustrative case study provides empirical evidence to support the new theoretical framework. Research limitations/implications Issues for further research include exploring and refining the theoretical framework in other research contexts and investigating broader issues about how COO branding influences self and collective interests in business relationships and industry networks. Practical implications Adopting a broadened perspective of COO branding enables managers to understand how identity and image are integrated with their business relationships in the context of developing collective brand meaning. Providing a sustained strategic advantage for all network actors, an integrated COO branding process extends beyond developing a distinctive identity and image. Originality/value Accepted consumer, product, firm and place level perspectives of COO branding are challenged by developing and verifying a new integrated conceptualization of branding.

Robust-PCA-based hierarchical plane extraction for application to geometric 3D indoor mapping

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suyong Yeon ◽  
ChangHyun Jun ◽  
Hyunga Choi ◽  
Jaehyeon Kang ◽  
Youngmok Yun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Principal Component ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Previous Method ◽  
Divide And Conquer ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Estimation Accuracy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Extraction Algorithm ◽  
Plane Extraction ◽  
Scan Data

Purpose – The authors aim to propose a novel plane extraction algorithm for geometric 3D indoor mapping with range scan data. Design/methodology/approach – The proposed method utilizes a divide-and-conquer step to efficiently handle huge amounts of point clouds not in a whole group, but in forms of separate sub-groups with similar plane parameters. This method adopts robust principal component analysis to enhance estimation accuracy. Findings – Experimental results verify that the method not only shows enhanced performance in the plane extraction, but also broadens the domain of interest of the plane registration to an information-poor environment (such as simple indoor corridors), while the previous method only adequately works in an information-rich environment (such as a space with many features). Originality/value – The proposed algorithm has three advantages over the current state-of-the-art method in that it is fast, utilizes more inlier sensor data that does not become contaminated by severe sensor noise and extracts more accurate plane parameters.

To examine the relationships between supplier development practices and supplier-buyer relationship practices from the supplier’s perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 1309-1336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarang Joshi ◽  
Manoj Kharat ◽  
Rakesh Raut ◽  
Sachin Kamble ◽  
Sheetal Kamble
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Structural Model ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Supplier Development ◽  
Competitive Advantages ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Relationship Improvement

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between supplier development practices (SDPs) and supplier-buyer relationship practices from the supplier’s perspective (SBRSP), and seek to understand how specific SDPs may impact a buyer’s operational performance as well as supplier-buyer relationship practices. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a survey of 512 respondents from the different manufacturing firms in India and applied structural equation modelling to test a structural model that proposes the impacts of various efforts of SDPs on a buyer’s performance as well as SBRSP. Findings The study concludes that SDPs and SBRSP together improve the relationship between a buyer and supplier, and this improved relationship leads to competitive advantages (CAs) followed by profitability. Results indicate that supplier perspective of buyer-supplier relationship can be improved under the condition of SDPs and SBRSP together. SDPs are driven by productive measure and competitive pressure, whereas customer uncertainty is found to be statistically insignificant. Research limitations/implications The study was carried out in North Maharashtra Industrial Zone of India, where the auto sector and machine/components manufacturing firms have been established for a considerable period of time. Results of the study are limited to manufacturing organizations predominantly focussing on the automobile sector and machine/components manufacturing firms. Practical implications This study provides significant insights into the specific impact of various SDPs and SBRSP for both academics and practitioners. SDPs along with SBRSP practices lead to improvement in the relationship leading to CAs. SBRSP suggests that trust, long-term commitments and the supplier’s perspective are important practices for relationship improvement. Originality/value The current study attempts to identify what are the success factors for the supplier-buyer relationship from the supplier’s perspective and SDPs and how the supplier-buyer relationship can be improved under the condition of SDPs and SBRSP. Hence, the aim is to develop a more thorough understanding of the outcomes of a supplier-buyer relationship improvement from both buyer’s and supplier’s perspective, under the conditions of supplier development to achieve CAs leading to profitability. Furthermore, the study analyses the effect of the improved supplier-buyer relationship for achieving CAs leading to profitability.

Aspects of project learning in construction: a socio-technical model

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Mohammed Alashwal ◽  
Hamzah Abdul-Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Latent Variable ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Team Building ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Measurement Model ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Path Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Measurement Models ◽  
Project Learning

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the measurement constructs of learning within construction projects' milieu. The literature indicated some mechanisms of learning in projects under four aspects, namely knowledge sharing, knowledge creation, team action to learn, and learning support. The empirical study attempts to verify whether intra-project learning can be measured through these aspects. Design/methodology/approach – The study used a survey method to collect the data from 36 mega-sized building projects in Malaysia. In total, 203 questionnaires were collected from professionals working in the sites of these projects. The data were analysed using principal component analysis (PCA) to determine the constructs of intra-project learning. Partial least squares-path modeling was used then to confirm the results of PCA and determine the contribution of each construct to intra-project learning. Findings – The results affirmed two constructs of intra-project learning, named, social and technical and each consisted of four indicators of learning. Originality/value – The paper emphasized the socio-technical perspective of learning and contributed to developing a hierarchical measurement model of learning in construction project. A project manager can propose new initiatives in response to the new perspective of learning for team building and continuous development. Lastly, the paper provides a comprehensive presentation of how to estimate the hierarchical measurement models of project learning as a latent variable.

A principal component analysis of the determinants of spatial disparity between rural and urban localities of Ghana

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 715-731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivy Drafor
Keyword(s):  
Principal Component Analysis ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Component Analysis ◽  
Spatial Inequality ◽  
Necessary Condition ◽  
Spatial Disparity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rural And Urban

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the spatial disparity between rural and urban areas in Ghana using the Ghana Living Standards Survey’s (GLSS) rounds 5 and 6 data to advance the assertion that an endowed rural sector is necessary to promote agricultural development in Ghana. This analysis helps us to know the factors that contribute to the depravity of the rural sectors to inform policy towards development targeting. Design/methodology/approach A multivariate principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis were applied to data from the GLSS-5 and GLSS-6 to determine the characteristics of the rural-urban divide in Ghana. Findings The findings reveal that the rural poor also spend 60.3 per cent of their income on food, while the urban dwellers spend 49 per cent, which is an indication of food production capacity. They have low access to information technology facilities, have larger household sizes and lower levels of education. Rural areas depend a lot on firewood for cooking and use solar/dry cell energies and kerosene for lighting which have implications for conserving the environment. Practical implications Developing the rural areas to strengthen agricultural growth and productivity is a necessary condition for eliminating spatial disparities and promoting overall economic development in Ghana. Addressing rural deprivation is important for conserving the environment due to its increased use of fuelwood for cooking. Absence of alternatives to the use of fuelwood weakens the efforts to reduce deforestation. Originality/value The application of PCA to show the factors that contribute to spatial inequality in Ghana using the GLSS-5 and GLSS-6 data is unique. The study provides insights into redefining the framework for national poverty reduction efforts.

The psychology quadrant: an outcome measure based on the START risk assessment

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-22
Author(s):  
Matthew John Gill ◽  
Samantha Brookes
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Psychiatric Rehabilitation ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Psychological Outcome ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health Rehabilitation ◽  
Mental Health Rehabilitation ◽  
Outcome Tool

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a psychological outcome tool which reflects the relationship between clusters of items on the Short Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability (START) risk assessment and different categories of psychological progress in male inpatient psychiatric services. Design/methodology/approach A principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted on data from 135 male psychiatric rehabilitation patients’ START risk assessments. Findings PCA identified four strength psychology quadrants which were explained by a five-factor structure and four vulnerability quadrants which were explained by a four-factor structure. The development of the psychology quadrant, its usefulness in establishing a treatment pathway and areas of future research are also discussed. Originality/value Developing accessible, transparent outcome measures using evidence-based practice is highly relevant within the field of mental health rehabilitation.

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