Creating value chains: the role of relationship development

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to identify the key characteristics of business-to-business relationships in the early stages of the relationship that will influence the successful creation of value chains. Identification of these characteristics will provide a decision-making tool for continuing the effective development of the value chain process. Design/methodology/approach -Key characteristics necessary to develop strong relationships were identified from the literature. These characteristics will assist the relationship to evolve into a long-standing mature relationship. An expert panel evaluated four value chain analysis (VCA) case studies against these characteristics in order to identify patterns in relationships that could explain the varied performance of these cases. Findings -In total, 15 relational characteristics were identified that must be present in the engagement stage before initiating the next step in the VCA process. An assessment of the activities associated with pre-relationships and early relationships within the value chain provide a strong indication of the chains ability to conduct successful VCA. Research limitations/implications -This research furthers the understanding of value chains and adds an important and novel contribution of relationship characteristics to the early stages of relationship development within value chains. Originality/value -The application of relationship development to the engagement of value chains is an extension to the VCA literature. Relationships are a proven foundation component of successful value chains, and yet relationship development research from business-to-business marketing has not been well incorporated into the value chain literature. The framework proposed in this paper facilitates an assessment on the level of chain engagement and readiness to take the next step in the value chain process, thus making a valuable practical contribution.

The effect of consumers’ ethnocentric attitudes on their willingness for prosumption

“…The main common feature of each group of respondents is the fact that all of them are participants at certain marketing channel. Even traditional purchasers play this role (compare Wagner et al., 2011; Hastings et al., 2016). However, the level of their desired marketing activity is quite different, and thus their degree of integration with offerors is different too.…”

“…Ethics is definitely the basis for building and strengthening good mutual relations over a long period of time. The relational dimension of intra-channel integration is also highlighted as vital (inter alia, Palmatier et al., 2015; Wagner et al., 2011; Hastings et al., 2016), which proves that the degree of integration between purchasers and offerors can be determined by analysing the character of the relationship between these two parties.…”

Sustainable Agriculture – Life beyond Subsidies: Lessons from New Zealand

“…() introduced a conceptual framework for evaluating the market orientation of value chains in the food industry; see also Trienekens (). Roep and Wiskerke () have suggested that the agri‐food industry has been among the last to shift to a consumer‐focused market orientation, but studies are emerging that compare different value chains and evaluate potential success factors (Brinkmann et al ., ; Value Chain Management Centre, ; Macharia et al ., ; Trienekens and Wognum, ; Hastings et al ., ). This has included studies of agri‐food value chains sourced from New Zealand, including the research of Skallerud and Olsen (), Akhtar and Khan (), Trienekens et al .…”

Organisational Routines and Interfirm Collaboration: Measurement Dilemmas and Recommendations for Further Research Steps

“…Thus, trust is the general relationship indicator (Meng, 2010), it is at the heart of a relationship (Kam and Lai, 2018). Trust is a relational feature important for collaboration (Hastings et al, 2016). It contributes to the collaboration tendency to enter and follow inter-firm relationships (Madhok, 2006).…”