The extant negotiation literature in SCM is, however, small and dispersed, which is
evident in its focus on widely, and often technically, different topics. For instance,
while Kaufmann and Carter (2004) investigated the feasibility and appropriateness of
reverse negotiation auctions, Schoenherr and Mabert (2007) examined the
interdependence between bidding requirements and bundle structure (Section 2). As
one of the few and more non-technical and general negotiation contributions, Ramsay
(2004) concluded that a central link between supply chain members, the negotiation
setting or situation, is crucial and found that even though many researchers also have
concluded that this is important, an: “... astonishing dearth of empirical information in
this area ...” exists. He continues, stating that: “... there has been no exploration of the
implications of [negotiating] for buyer-supplier relationships in particular and no
analysis of its implications in the supply chain trading context”. Furthermore, “... the
lack of academic interest in negotiation shown by those investigating buyer-supplier
interactions is superficially puzzling”. As a consequence, Ramsay (2004) suggests that