Balancing coercive and non-coercive powers to enhance green supplier integration: do relationship commitment and closeness matter?

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 637-653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiansong Zhang ◽  
Jieyi Pan ◽  
Dehui Xu ◽  
Taiwen Feng

Purpose Although the importance of green supplier integration (GSI) has been recognized, the knowledge of how it can be enhanced is still limited. Using insights from transaction cost and resource dependence theories, this paper aims to explore how to balance coercive and non-coercive powers to enhance GSI and the mediating role of relationship commitment and the moderating role of relationship closeness. Design/methodology/approach To validate the hypotheses, this study conducted hierarchical regression analysis and bootstrapping using the survey data collected from 206 Chinese manufacturers. Findings The results indicate that coercive power undermines normative commitment, while non-coercive power promotes normative and instrumental commitments. Both normative and instrumental commitments enhance GSI. Normative commitment mediates the impacts of coercive and non-coercive powers on GSI, while instrumental commitment only mediates the impact of non-coercive power on GSI. Moreover, supplier trust and dependence negatively moderate the positive link between instrumental commitment and GSI. Practical implications Executives should carefully balance coercive and non-coercive powers to encourage firms to maintain good relationships with suppliers and develop common environmental values under different mediating effects of normative and instrumental commitments. However, they should also be aware that high level of trust and dependence can affect the impacts of powers. Originality/value This study contributes to GSI literature by opening the “black box” between power and GSI and verifying its boundary conditions.

2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (9) ◽  
pp. 1295-1311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin von Haartman ◽  
Lars Bengtsson

Purpose – The interest in global purchasing has increased significantly in recent years, but the impact on product innovation is not well understood. The purpose of this paper is to empirically analyse the impact of global purchasing on product innovation sourced from suppliers, while taking into account how firms integrate their suppliers. Design/methodology/approach – The data used in this study are from the International Purchasing Survey, an international online survey on purchasing and supply management conducted in 2009. The data are analysed using factor and regression analyses. Findings – The paper shows that global purchasing has no direct impact on product innovation performance. However, supplier integration is more strongly associated with product innovation performance for firms purchasing globally compared to firms purchasing regionally. Practical implications – The implication is that when companies purchase globally, they must have a highly developed purchasing department in order to sustain a high level of innovation. For firms purchasing only regionally, the role of the purchasing department is diminished, at least in terms of contributing to innovation. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the discussion of potential advantages and disadvantages of global purchasing. First, the paper provides an explanation for the ambiguous results of previous research. Product innovation does not depend on whether firms are purchasing globally or not, it depends on how they purchase. This paper has showed that when purchasing globally, the role of the purchasing department becomes crucial for product innovation. The proficiency and activities of the purchasing department largely determine the success, in terms of supplier product innovation, of global purchasing.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 733-751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keo Mony Sok ◽  
Phyra Sok ◽  
Lan Snell ◽  
Pingping Qiu

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of frontline service employees (FSEs) motivation (enjoyment of work and driven to work) and ability (customer service ability) in the relationship between TFL and employee service performance. Design/methodology/approach This is a survey-based study which involves 534 FSEs and 135 supervisors in a hair salon setting. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings Results show that TFL is significantly related to employee service performance; this relationship is enhanced with the presence of driven to work; yet, it is neutralized with the presence of enjoyment of work. Further, the three-way interaction of TFL, enjoyment of work and customer service ability as well as TFL driven to work, and customer service ability are negatively associated with employee service performance. Practical implications The results advance service managers’ understanding of the importance of FSEs motivation and ability if they are to fully reap the benefits from their FSEs. The role of leader is not always effective in all situations. FSEs with high level of enjoyment of work and customer service ability would least rely on the guidance and support from the supervisors. Originality/value This research is one of the first to examine the role of subordinate’s characteristics (motivation – enjoyment of work and driven to work and ability – customer service ability) as the key moderators in the relationship between TFL and employee service performance.


2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 540-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Panagiotis Gkorezis ◽  
Eugenia Petridou ◽  
Katerina Lioliou

Purpose – Substantial research has examined the pivotal role of supervisor positive humor in generating employee outcomes. To date, though, little is known about the relationship between supervisor humor and newcomers’ adjustment. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to this gap by examining the effect of supervisor positive humor on newcomers’ adjustment. In doing so, the authors highlighted relational identification with the supervisor as a mediating mechanism that explains the aforementioned association. Design/methodology/approach – Data were drawn from 117 newcomers. In order to collect the data the authors used the snowball method. Also, hierarchical regression analysis was conducted. Findings – The results demonstrated that supervisor positive humor affects employees’ relational identification with the supervisor which, in turn, positively relates to newcomers’ adjustment. Research limitations/implications – Data were collected using a cross-sectional design and, therefore, the authors cannot directly assess causality. Moreover, the authors used self-report measures which may strengthen the causal relationships. Originality/value – To the best of the knowledge, this is the first study that illustrates the role of supervisor humor in enhancing both newcomers’ relational identification and adjustment.


Author(s):  
Anto Verghese ◽  
Xenophon Koufteros ◽  
Baofeng Huo

PurposeWith more than half of customer-experienced disruptions attributed to first-tier suppliers, supplier resilience (SRES) is fundamental to the resilience of the supply chain. However, little is known about the relational aspects that engender SRES, from the purview of the supplier. The purpose of this paper is to examine the explanatory role of suppliers’ relationship commitment dimensions (i.e. affective and continuance), which may foster SRES through customer benevolence. Moreover, the impact of customer benevolence on SRES is examined considering varying levels of industry dynamism.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data from 207 manufacturing firms are utilized to test the hypotheses taking potential endogeneity issues into consideration.FindingsAffective and continuance commitment induce customer benevolence, which furthers SRES. Specifically, affective commitment is the most potent approach to induce customer benevolence, while the dampening effect of industry dynamism is more palpable at the higher levels of industry dynamism.Research limitations/implicationsThis study did not account for specific disruption types and the contingent effects of power asymmetry.Practical implicationsThis study empirically demonstrates that suppliers can leverage customer benevolence via relationship commitment to achieve SRES. However, the efficacy of customer benevolence to engender SRES is limited to environments not characterized by high levels of industry dynamism.Originality/valueThis paper highlights the role of relational mechanisms in achieving resilience from the purview of a supplier using survey data.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Upasna A. Agarwal ◽  
Sushmita A. Narayana

PurposeThe present study aims to examine the impact of relational communication, operationalized in terms of information sharing, quality and frequency of information, on buyer's trust and relationship satisfaction in a buyer–vendor relationship. The study also tests the mediating role of trust and the moderating role of relationship commitment in relational communication and satisfaction relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe data for the study were collected through a questionnaire survey from 321 managers of the different firms who were directly or indirectly involved in making procurement or purchasing decision in the firm and were familiar with the firm's supplier relationships.FindingsRelational communication was found to be positively related to relational satisfaction and trust partially mediated this relationship. Further, relationship commitment moderated relational communication-satisfaction relationship, such that the positive affect of relational communication on relational satisfaction was accentuated when buyer experienced higher relationship commitment towards the supplier.Research limitations/implicationsUsing single source, self-reported questionnaire data and cross-sectional research design are the limitations of this study. Studies in future should consider a dyadic perspective. The study outlines the need to explore investments and strategies in enhancing relational communication in buyer–vendor relationships.Originality/valueAnchored in theoretical foundations of social exchange theory, the study integrates and tests behavioral aspects of buyer–vendor relationship. Testing an integrated model with direct and indirect effects of relational communication on relationship satisfaction in buyer–vendor is a significant contribution of the research. The study also contributes by examining relational exchanges in buyer-vendor relationships in India, an underrepresented context in buyer–supplier relationship (BSR) literature.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Birasnav ◽  
Prabhakar Venugopal Gantasala ◽  
Swapna Bhargavi Gantasala

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of the implementation of safety-oriented knowledge management (KM) processes and student diversity acceptance in schools and the interaction effect of safety-oriented KM processes and student diversity acceptance over school performance and student academic orientation. Design/methodology/approach Responses of 977 American schools available in the database of the National Center for Education Statistics were analyzed using hierarchical regression analyses. Findings Results show that implementation of safety-oriented KM processes and diversity acceptance in schools have varying effects on school performance and student academic orientation. The impact of knowledge acquisition from parents on the academic achievement of students is positive and stronger in schools that are low in student diversity acceptance than schools that are high in student diversity acceptance. Originality/value This study adds value to the KM literature by exploring how KM processes are executed in American schools to improve their performance and students’ academic orientation and how diversity among students alters the strength of the relationships.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 125-137
Author(s):  
Shuaib Ahmed Soomro ◽  
Olivier Roques ◽  
Akhtiar Ali

Purpose This study aims to investigate the impact of fear of terror (FOT) on employee organizational commitment (OC) working in terror-induced areas through examining the role of rumination as a mediator and perceived organization support (POS) as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach The authors develop a model in which the mediating role of rumination in the FOT relationship is conditional to the values of OC. Using a sample size of 268 respondents, questionnaires were used to collect data from Pakistan during a period when terrorist attacks were at a peak. Results from the hierarchical regression analyses provided support for the developed model. Findings Overall, the statistical model is significant (p < 0.05); the authors found negative relationships between FOT and OC. The authors found that FOT positively led to rumination, which then negatively led to OC. It was also found that POS significantly moderated FOT and OC. Practical implications This study revealed that FOT is a deterring factor that changed employees’ OC. It further revealed that organizations providing support to employees working in terrorist-ridden areas showed positive commitment. This paper discusses the theoretical and practical implications of these findings. Originality/value This paper provides an examination of the relationship between FOT and employee OC. It expands our knowledge of the stress theory and terror management theory for employees working in discontinuous areas.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 1071-1088
Author(s):  
Dothang Truong

Purpose Despite the important role of distrust in predicting the intention to use, existing literature has not studied the impact of distrust on the buyer’s integration with suppliers and their e-procurement usage in the B2B context, creating major gaps in the e-procurement theory. The purpose of this paper is to fill the gaps in the literature by examining the role and impact of distrust in the e-procurement context. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through a web-based survey of purchasing professionals in the USA. ANOVA was used to compare the level of distrust among companies. In addition, the measurement model and hypotheses were tested using the structural equation modeling method. Findings Empirical findings indicate if buyers have uncertainty or negative expectation on the reliability and capability of the supplier in e-procurement systems, they would tend to hesitate to use e-procurement for purchasing. Furthermore, distrust also inhibits buyers from strengthening the supplier integration through sharing operational and logistics information and collaborating in new product development and purchasing process. Research limitations/implications This paper discovers the vital role of distrust in the e-procurement context. Distrust has a significant impact on a company’s cooperation and commitment with business partners. Additionally, to improve the supplier integration, it is important not only to use e-procurement applications but also to have a mechanism to lower the buyers’ distrust level in e-procurement systems. Practical implications Realizing the important role of distrust, e-procurement vendors could improve the supplier selection process by allowing buyers to review the supplier’s reliability and capability, and to interact with the supplier before making any online purchase. Vendors could also build a better supplier verification system and collaborative mechanism to reduce buyers’ distrust issues. Originality/value Despite the important role of distrust in predicting the intention to use, existing literature has not studied the impact of distrust on the buyer’s integration with suppliers and their e-procurement usage in the B2B context, creating major gaps in the e-procurement theory. This paper fills the gaps in the literature by examining the role and impact of distrust in the e-procurement context.


2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 321-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anugamini Priya Srivastava ◽  
Rajib Lochan Dhar

Purpose This study aims to analyse the impact of authentic leadership (AL) on academic optimism (AO) through the mediating role of affective commitment (AC). As this study also examines the moderating role of training comprehensiveness (TC) in strengthening the relation between AC and AO. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from school teachers and their immediate principal and were further analysed through confirmatory factor analysis and hierarchical regression analysis. Findings Data analysis provided significant support to the hypotheses presented in the study. AC partially mediated the link between AL and AO, and TC moderated the linkage between AC and AO significantly. Originality/value This study provides novel basis to improve the overall functioning of schools and teachers’ performance. It provides ways to improve the overall AO in Indian schools.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Tarifa Fernández ◽  
José Cespedes-Lorente ◽  
Jerónimo de Burgos Jiménez

Purpose Based on the human resource (HR) and supply chain integration (SCI) literature, this paper aims to argue that high-involvement human resource practices (HIHRP) work as a complementary capability for SCI, and thus, HIHRP moderates the relationship between SCI and firm productivity. This moderating role is analyzed through the following HIHRP dimensions, namely, ability-enhancing, motivation-enhancing and opportunity-enhancing practices framework. Design/methodology/approach Using empirical data collected from a survey of the agri-food sector (horticultural firms of southern Spain), the moderating effects of HIHRP on the relationship between supply chain external integrations (with customers and suppliers) and productivity are examined. Hierarchical regression analysis is used to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings The results support that HIHRP has a moderating effect on the SCI/productivity relationship. However, these results are only significant in the case of supplier integration. Originality/value This study analyzes HIHRP as a complementary asset in the context of SCI and makes both theoretical and managerial contributions to the SCI literature by empirically analyzing the role of HR practices in enhancing the relationship between SCI and performance.


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