The increasing popularity of service-based strategies among manufacturers, such as solution provision, make service triads commonplace within business. While there is some consensus that 'relational' (i.e., close or collaborative) relationships are beneficial for the performance of individual actors and the triad as a whole, there is little known on what exactly affects the service performance of an actor in these triads. In this study we investigate the influence of the manufacturer -service supplier relationship on the performance of the service supplier towards the manufacturer's customers. As this phenomenon is causally complex and context dependent, we assume that there will be alternative configurations of relationship characteristics and contingent factors that lead to high service performance. In order to uncover potential configurations we deployed fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), on data collected from 38 triads within the network of a large Anglo-German commercial vehicle manufacturer. Our research shows that -in this context -superior service performance cannot be generalized to one relationship configuration and is also contingent upon exogenous factors -i.e., contract support and service site size. We uncovered four 'core', configurations of relationship dimensions and two exogenous factors. Three of the configurations exhibited relational properties, while the fourth configuration had transactional properties. This is counter to extant research findings. We extend the perspective that within triads, service performance is not an outcome of a single 'close', or 'collaborative' relationship, and is a combination of multiple configurations consisting of varying relationship dimensions and exogenous factors.

Solutions provision depends on effective and efficient supply chains. Existing discourse within servitization has remained at the organisational or inter-organisational level with a limited emphasis on the role of individuals. However, supply chains are not just relationships between organisations; they are complex, inter-personal relationships that span organisational boundaries. The limited focus on boundary spanners and their interactions means that managerial roles critical for the provision of solutions remain unidentified. The aim of this research is to identify the functions, roles and practices of boundary spanners that connect organisations and enable the effective provision of solutions. Design/methodology/approach: A case study comprising 61 interviews in 11 firms was conducted in the UK network of a commercial vehicles manufacturer, to investigate boundary spanning for product and solutions provision. Findings: The functions of boundary spanners in solutions provision move from communicating product and price features in product provision towards strategic communication, dissonance reduction, professional education, consultation and leveraging offerings. The study also identifies the boundary spanning roles and practices that form these functions for solutions provision. Originality/value: This is the first study in servitization that identifies and describes the boundary spanning functions, roles and practices. By adopting the lens of boundary spanning, the research addresses the lack of empirical managerial-level enquiry within servitization research. It extends the theoretical discussion on the differences between supply chain management in servitized versus product contexts.

1Manufacturer-Supplier relationships and service performance in service triads Abstract Purpose This study explores the role of the manufacturer-supplier relationship in service performance within service triads. Design/methodology/approachAn abductive case-research approach was adopted, using three embedded cases and twenty-six interviews in complex, multilevel manufacturer-supplier relationships within the same service network. Cannon and Perreault's (1999) multidimensional relationship framework was deployed to achieve granular and nuanced insight. FindingsThis study corroborates the idea that relational relationships within service triads and servitization improve performance. The role of each relationship dimension in service performance is discerned, and their interplay is captured in an analytic model. Information exchange, supplier relationship-specific adaptations, and the degree of formalization of the relationship directly influence performance, while cooperative norms and operational linkages are further back in the causal ordering. The study also highlights the importance of contingent factors and how they affect the relationship dimensions. Research limitations/implicationsThe work was conducted in one network and the findings were generalized to theory rather than additonal empirical settings. Originality/valueThis study is the first to derive a contextualized causal ordering of the Cannon and Perreault (1999) framework of relationship connectors and link it with service performance.

The Covid-19 pandemic represents a low-probability, high-impact systemic risk that has severely disrupted international trade, reshaping the patterns of globalization. Drawing from the concept of supply chain resilience, which involves both the ability of a system to withstand an impact ( robustness ) and recover from it ( responsiveness ), we investigate country-level trade resilience during the 1st wave of the pandemic. By employing Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), we identify configurations of country-level factors, i.e. , country profiles, based on their effectiveness in engendering trade resilience. These factors include social and economic globalization, logistics performance, healthcare preparedness, national government response, and income level. The results show how these factors coalesced to strengthen (or weaken) international trade resilience, contributing to a holistic understanding of the impact of the pandemic on international trade. The findings inform the post-Covid-19 debate on international trade, with implications for managers and policymakers.