Before proceeding to investigate the organizational health of the companies described in the subsequent exploratory case study, it is important to provide a rationalization of the extent to which a partnership relationship exists between the buyer and supplier organizations. McIvor et al. (1997) identified a number of key factors that influence buyer-supplier relations where partnership sourcing exists. These are outlined in Table I with supporting evidence relating to the relationship with the powerful buyer, referred to as Company X. This table also outlines linkages between buyer-supplier collaboration and elements of organizational health.
Taking into consideration the factors that influence buyer-supplier relations as outlined by McIvor et al. (1997), the above discussion aims to illustrate that the relationship that existed between the supplier organization and Company X was a partnership. Further support for this argument is offered by Boyle (1994), who provided detailed case study evidence outlining the extent of the partnering relationship between Company X and the supplier.