1、 外文翻译 原文 Strategic purchasing, supply management practices and buyer performance improvement:an empirical study of UK manufacturing organisations Material Source:Springer Link Author:Benn Lawson、 Paul D.Cousins、 Robert B.Handfield、 Kenneth J.Petersen Abstract： Purchasing is increasingly seen as an i
2、mportant strategic activity, there is little evidence examining the effects of strategic purchasing on firms inter-organisational supply management practices and performance. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of strategic purchasing on the supply management practices of socialisatio
3、n, supplier integration and supplier responsiveness, together with relationship performance. Using empirical data collected from 111 United Kingdom purchasing executives, a structural equation model is used to test the theoretical framework. The results provide support for four of the six hypotheses
4、 developed. Strategic purchasing was found to have an indirect, significant effect on improving buyer performance, acting through supplier integration. Strategic purchasing also had a significant effect on the use of socialisation mechanisms, but not on supplier responsiveness. Our research indicate
5、s that close, long-term supplier relationships can lead to the creation of relational rents. Implications for future research and suggestions for improving the rigour of strategic purchasing research are made. Keywords ： buyersupplier relationships; strategic purchasing; supply management. 1. Litera
6、ture review 1.1 The resource-based view and strategic purchasing The traditional resource-based view (RBV) argues that supernormal earnings result from resources controlled by a single firm. However, the rapid growth of collaborative relationships across many industries has expanded this focus, with
7、 scholarly attention beginning to recognise the importance of resources which lie outside of a firms boundaries. Complementary resource combinations between partnering firms can be a source of competitive advantage, with the idiosyncratic nature of the relational assets making imitation by competito
8、rs difficult.Our study is thus positioned within a framework of collaborative advantage , rather than one of competitive advantage. Collaborative advantage is a resource that requires a long-term orientation and may ultimately create greater benefits than a traditional zero-sum based approach to com
9、petition. Specifically, we rely on the relational view, an extension of RBV incorporating social network theory. Through co-operation, partners can profit from rents that can only be generated by working jointly. The ability of the firm to derive these relational rents is at least, in part, dependen
10、t on how effective the supply function is in building and leveraging collaborative partnerships with suppliers.Toyotas approach to creating and managing a high-performance knowledge-sharing production network generates considerable advantage for both the company and its suppliers. Later studies sugg
11、est that relational benefits are long-term and sustainable in nature. 1.2 Strategic purchasing Purchasing is increasingly regarded as a strategic weapon, centred on its ability to create collaborative relationships for firm advantage. Numerous authors have highlighted the key concepts of strategic p
12、urchasing, including a proactive, long-term focus, and managing supplier relationships strategically. Consistent with previous literature, we define strategic purchasing as a planning process that will direct all purchasing activities toward opportunities consistent with the firms capabilities to ac
13、hieve its long-term goals. Our study, grounded in the relational view, argues that partnerships with suppliers can have a strong positive influence on firm performance through the development of joint resources and the exchange of valuable knowledge with these individual partner. In practice, many f
14、irms fail to realise these benefits when they implement sourcing agreements at a lower negotiated price, but do not follow through with the relational processes that capture these benefits over the course of the contract. However, the ability to extract such benefits from supplier relationships is a
15、lso linked to the way these relationships are managed. For example, those relationships characterised by close interactions and successful process integration between buyer and supplier are better able to create,coordinate and protect joint resources for a sustained competitive advantage. Thus, it i
16、s not enough for a firm to possess a strategic purchasing orientation, they must also create conditions which allow the buyer and supplier to contribute and develop the relationship. Various supply management practices facilitate this process, and are discussed below. 2. Conceptual model and hypothe
17、ses Figure 1 illustrates our conceptual model linking strategic purchasing, supply management practices, and buyer performance improvement. We argue that the strategic orientation set by a proactive purchasing function leads to the development of certain supply practices, namely socialisation, integ
18、ration and responsiveness. In turn, these practices act as the conduits through which the relationship is built, knowledge transferred, and performance improvements for the buyer achieved. Each of the hypothesised relationships is developed below. h1 h4 h2 h5 h3 h6 Figure 1. Conceptual model. 2.1 Li
19、nking strategic purchasing and supply management practices Strategic purchasing requires a proactive long-term view to supplier relationship management, leading to closer, co-operative links with key suppliers. One means of forging these links is through bridging mechanisms that transcend the horizo
20、ntal boundaries between the firms. Socialisation mechanisms fulfil this role, acting to structure the engagement, communicate expectations and share useful knowledge between exchange partners. Examples include cross-functional teams, co-location, regularly scheduled meetings and conferences, and mat
21、rix style reporting structures. Although we do not specify the exact mix of structures that produce the desired results, cross-functional teams combined with regular supplier team meetings are a bedrock for enhanced team interaction. We argue that as the purchasing function adopts a strategic orient
22、ation, the senior management team will increase its use of socialisation mechanisms with suppliers as a means of Socialisation Mechanism Supplier Integration Supplier Responsiveness responsi Strategic Purchasing Buyer Performance Improvement transmitting their cultural values and signalling their co
23、mmitment to a collaborative, long-term relationship. Thus: Hypothesis 1. Strategic purchasing has a positive effect on the level of socialisation mechanisms. A strategic purchasing orientation necessitates a co-operative approach to the management of key suppliers. A long-term relationship perspecti
24、ve increased the intensity of buyersupplier co-ordination.Each party must commit relational assets, both human and physical, to developing this relationship and enable closer co-ordination of activities. Closer integration with suppliers is a means of safeguarding investments specific to the relatio
25、nship, and increasing the willingness of the supplier to make relationship-specific asset investments. Thus, as a firm adopts a strategic purchasing orientation they will seek to increase the level of operational integration with their key suppliers. Thus: Hypothesis 2. Strategic purchasing has a po
26、sitive effect on the level of supplier integration Strategic purchasing also requires a firm to specify the types of relationships they wish to form with the supply base. In recent years, firms have restructured their supply bases through a process of supplier tiering to reduce the number of supplie
27、rs they deal with. First tier suppliers then become the focus of intensive collaboration, where the buyer and supplier align their various organisational systems to enable very close interaction. This alignment is designed to synergistically enhance skills, share learning, develop new designs and re
28、duce costs by taking out wasteful processes. We propose that as firms pursue a strategic purchasing orientation, the supply base will be more suited to the buyer, and more responsive to their needs. Thus: Hypothesis 3. Strategic purchasing has a positive effect on the responsiveness characteristics
29、of a firms suppliers 2.2 Linking supply management practices to buyer performance improvement We examine the effect of supply chain management practices on buyer performance improvement, specifically on dimensions of product development, process design and product quality. The importance of socialis
30、ation, supplier integration and supplier responsiveness in driving performance has a high degree of face validity, especially in the case of specific industries. Take, for example, the automotive industry where Japanese automakers, such as Toyota and Honda, have gained large performance advantages o
31、ver General Motors and Ford. Each of these companies have strategic purchasing models in place, but Toyota and Honda achieve greater benefits, due to the way they have implemented various supply management practices to drive execution with core suppliers. To unlock the value that exists in the buyer
32、supplier exchange, firms will need to effectively manage their inter-firm relationships. Socialisation mechanisms help align and adapt buyer activities to changes in the environment. The shared norms and co-operation created via socialisation helps increase information exchange, co-operation between
33、 the parties and likelihood of shared resource investments. Thus, higher levels of socialisation are likely to result in smoother information flows necessary for effective communication of new product designs, suggestions for process improvements, and higher product quality. This is developed in the
34、 following hypothesis: Hypothesis 4. Socialisation mechanisms are positively related with higher levels of buyer performance improvement While socialisation mechanisms focus on the social side of the relationship, the harder structural elements of the process are equally important. Supplier integrat
35、ion reflects co-specialised resources, and may be an important source of inter-organisational rents. Integration with suppliers has been associated with improved business performance across a range of industries and settings. Specifically, supplier integration results in higher levels of reliability
36、, delivery times, flexibility and customer satisfaction, ultimately making the focal company more competitive . Supply chain integration implies greater alignment between the supply chain and the companys strategies. We argue that as levels of supplier integration increases, buyer performance will i
37、mprove as measured by product design, process design and product quality. Thus: Hypothesis 5. Supplier integration is positively associated with higher levels of buyer performance improvement Kraljic (1983) wrote that . . . with traditional sourcing patterns crumbling under the pressures of politica
38、l, economic and technological change, no company whose profitability could be threatened by a sudden scarcity of an important raw material or the loss of a key supplier can safely continue to rely on reactive purchasing policies. Twenty-four years later global firms are still facing these same conce
39、rns. In order to mitigate these basic sourcing risks firms have focused on developing responsiveness within their supply base. This has been achieved through a variety of mechanisms.firms who are able to extract competitive advantage from their supply base have supply chains that are . . . agile, ad
40、aptable and aligned. Moreover, the Japanese keiretsu supply network offer large benefits of flexibility and control. supplier resources must be aligned with those of the buyer firm in order to attain a competitive advantage, while specific investments in the supplier relationship led to greater supp
41、lier responsiveness, and in turn, improved supplier performance. Flexible suppliers are better able to align with the buyers supply chain, and provide input into the design of products, processes and quality procedures. Following these previous studies, we argue that firms who possess higher levels
42、of supplier responsiveness are more likely to extract gains from their supplier relationships. Hypothesis 6. Supplier responsiveness is positively associated with higher levels of buyer performance improvement. 译文 战略采购，供应链管理的做法和买方性能改进 资料来源 : SpringerLink 作者： Benn Lawson、 Paul D.Cousins、 RobertB.Hand
43、field、 Kenneth J.Petersen 摘要： 采购越来越被视为一项重要的战略活动。但是，战略采购对一个企业跨组织供应链管理的做法与绩效所产生的影响的研究证名相对较少。本文的目的是研究在社会化，集成供应商和供应商管理做法方面所引起的结合关系绩效的战略采购效应。利用从 111英国采购行政部门搜集的经验性 数据，以及用来测试理论框架的方程模式，结果表明研制出来的 6个假设中，有四个假设是符合的。研究发现战略采购通过对提高买家的绩效的供应商具有间接而且显著的影响。战略采购同时也对社会化机制的使用有着显著的作用，但是这种作用对供应商响应方面是无效的。我们的研究表明，紧密且长期的供应关系可以
44、产生关系收益。最后我们提出了对日后研究的启示和提高战略采购研究的建议。 关键词： 买方与供应商关系；战略采购；供应管理 正文： 1 文献综述 1.1 以资源为基础的观点和战略采购 传统的资源基础基础观点（ RBV）认为，超常的 收入是一家企业对资源收益进行控制的结果。然而，伴随着对一个公司外界所蕴藏的巨大资源的认知，许多行业协作关系开始迅速发展，并扩大了研究范围。企业之间的合作，资源互补的组合可以成为竞争优势的来源与竞争对手难以模仿的关系资产所特有的性质。因此，我们的研究定位在一个协作优势的框架内，而不是竞争优势因素之一。 协同优势是需要长期的方向和最终可能产生相比传统的竞争更能创造出盈利的一
45、种资源。具体来说，我们是根据一个由 RBV 合作性社会网络理论延伸出来的关系观点。通过合作，合作伙伴彼此可以从通过共同工作产生的利润中获利。能够 获取关系利润是公司至少要具备的能力，在某方面，要看供应作用在建设与利用，与供应商建立的合作伙伴关系中是多么有效。丰田用来创建和管理高性能的知识共享性的生产网络的方法，无论是对公司还是其供应商都会提供相当的优势。后来的研究表明，关系利益是长期并且是自然可持续的。 1.2 战略采购 战略采购日益被视为以企业建立优势合作关系的作用为中心的一种战略武器。许多笔者都对战略采购的主要性质进行了强调，其中包括积极长期的重点，以及对供应关系的战略性管理。与先前的相关
46、文件一样，我们把战略采购定义为一种将“监督与公司实现长期目 标有关的所有采购活动机会”的规划过程。 我们以关系观点为基础的研究认为与供应商的合作伙伴关系可以通过合作伙伴之间联合资源的发展以及宝贵信息的交流对公司绩效产生强大的积极影响。实际上，在以较低的协商价格来贯彻协议时，或者不遵循可以赢得这些利益合同的程序时许多公司没有认识到这些利益。然而，能够从与供应商建立的关系中提取利益的能力也和对这些关系的管理方式有所关联。例如，通过密切的相互作用和买家与供应商之间成功的程序整合为特征的关系能够更好的创建，协调和保护持续竞争优势的共同资源。因此，对于一个公司拥有一个战略采购 方向是不够的，他们还必须创
47、造让买家和供应商发展这个关系并做出贡献的条件。各种供应管理应用推动这一进程，并进行如下探讨。 2 概念模型与假设 图 1表明我们的概念模型联系起来的战略采购，供应管理方法和卖方的性能改进。我们认为，通过积极主动的采购职能设置的战略方向会让公司面向正确的供应方法，即社会化，一体化和响应发展。反过来，这些行为在帮助买家达到关系的建立，知识的转换，以及绩效起到一个渠道的作用。各个关系假设如下发展。 假设 1 假设 4 假设 2 假设 5 假设 3 假设 6 战略采 购 社会化机制 供应商整合 供应商响应 买家绩效提高 图 1：概念模式 2.1 结合战略采购与供应管理方法 战略采购需要长远的观点来看待
48、供应商关系管理，从而实现更紧密的与供应商的合作关 系。这些关联的意识就是通过一种衔接机制来超越企业之间的横向边界产生的。社会化机制发挥这种作用，是为了构建合约，交流彼此的期望值并且相互分享有用的信息。例如跨职能团队，同一地点，定期安排的会议和研讨会以及规范办事的报告结构。虽然我们不明确说明产生要求的结果的准确结合的结构，跨职能团队与规范供应商团队会议的结合是增强团队互动的“基石”。我们认为由于采用了采购职能的战略方向，高层管理团队将会与供应商增加其使用的社会化机制，作为传播他们的文化价值并且向长期的合作关系表明他们的承诺。因此： 假设 1.战略采购关系对社会 化机制层面有着积极地影响。 战略采
49、购方向需要与关键供应商合作来决定。一个长期关系的观点增加了买方和供应商合作的协调力度。各方必须对人力与物力方面的关系资产做出保证，为发展这种关系并且能够开展更密切的合作活动。与供应商的亲密整合是指为了维持这种关系而投入的特定且明确的投资，并增加供应商想做特定关系资产投资的意愿。因此，作为一个公司采用战略侧采购方针，公司将设法提高与关键供应商的整合程度。 假设 2.战略采购对供应商与公司的整合程度的提高有积极影响。 战略采购也需要公司明确指出他们想以供应为基础而组成的关系的类型 。近年来，各公司通过减少与他们做生意的供应商的数量来重组供应商等级顺序。第一层供应商则成为买方与供应商通过调整各种组织系统来加强整合度的集中合作的焦点。这种对齐的目的是为了协同提高技能，分享知识，做出新的设计方案并且降低浪费在没必要的程序上的成本。我们建议作为企业追求的战略采购方针，供应基础将会
