Supply Network Strategies

Lars-Erik Gadde is Professor of Industrial Marketing at Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden. Hkan Hkansson is Professor of Marketing at BI Norwegian School of Management, Oslo, Norway. Gran Persson is Professor of Business Logistics at BI Norwegian School of Management, Oslo, Norway.

Preface vii PART I SUPPLY NETWORK CHALLENGES 1 Chapter One Purchasing Faces New Challenges 3 The Significance of the Supply Side 4 Purchasing as Isolated Buying Decisions 5 Purchasing as Management of Supply Networks 8 Rethinking Purchasing 14 The Aims and Outline of the Book 17 Chapter Two The Supplier Base 19 Basic Characteristics of the Supplier Base 20 Window Manufacturer Ltd and Its Supplier Base 22 Analysing the Supplier Base 26 Key Challenges in the Handling of the Supplier Base 29 Implications for the Supply Side 34 Chapter Three Physical Flows in Supply Networks 37 The Impact of the Flow of Goods 37 Basic Characteristics of Physical Flows 39 Physical Flows in AlLight Limited 42 Key Challenges in the Handling of Physical Flows 45 Implications for the Supply Side 51 PART II SUPPLY NETWORK ANALYSIS 53 Chapter Four Purchasing and the Combining of Resources 55 Central Features of Resources 56 Resource Combining 58 Recombining Through Resource Cooperation 68 Recombining Through Resource Confrontation 71 Dynamic Resource Structures and the Role of Purchasing 76 Chapter Five Purchasing and the Configuring of Activities 81 Central Features of Activities 82 Configuring of Activities 83 Reconfiguring Through Changing Similarities 94 Reconfiguring Through Changing Complementarities 98 Efficient Activity Configurations and the Role of Purchasing 101 Chapter Six Purchasing and the Positioning of Actors 105 Central Features of the Actor Layer 106 Positioning in the Actor Layer 109 Repositioning Through Interaction in a Relationship 120 Repositioning Through Networking in the Supplier Base 123 Interactive Positioning and the Role of Purchasing 126 PART III SUPPLY NETWORK STRATEGIES 131 Chapter Seven Relating Developing Relationships with Suppliers 133 Relationships Matter 134 Characteristics of BuyerSupplier Relationships 136 Perspectives on Relationships 145 Relating in Supply Networks 153 Relating and the Supplier Base 161 Relating and Physical Flows 164 Chapter Eight Bounding Setting the Border around the Buying Firm 169 Boundaries Matter 170 Make or Buy? An Old Decision in a New Light 173 Bounding in Supply Networks 176 Bounding and the Supplier Base 189 Bounding and Physical Flows 191 Chapter Nine Organising Designing InternalExternal Couplings 195 Organising Matters 196 Internal Organising 197 External Organising 199 Organising in Supply Networks 208 Organising and the Supplier Base 222 Organising and Physical Flows 224 Chapter Ten Strategising Applying the Supply Network Perspective 227 Step 1: Interpreting the Current Approach to Purchasing 228 Step 2: Determining the Objectives Identifying Key Outcomes 229 Step 3: Determining the Network Strategy 231 Step 4: Calibrating the Elements of Strategy 234 Step 5: Restructuring the Supply Network 238 Epilogue 241 References 245 Index 255