Factors for efficient buyer-supplier relationships in the literature
When studying how to achieve efficient buyer-supplier relationships, many
researchers choose to do so from the buyer’s perspective. For example, Monczka
et al. (1998) identified critical factors for strategic supplier alliances based on
qualitative and quantitative data from purchasing managers of 77 companies in
various industries. The strategic alliances examined in the study were those where
transactions were between buyers and suppliers. Monczka et al. categorized their
findings into four groups: attributes of the relationship, communication behaviour,
conflict resolution, and commodity/supplier selection process formalization, which are
discussed in the following.