TRIADS IN SUPPLY NETWORKS: THEORIZING BUYER–SUPPLIER–SUPPLIER RELATIONSHIPS
提出三元组是供应网络的基本构建块，基于平衡理论和结构洞概念识别出九种买方-供应商-供应商关系的原型，并提出关键命题以辅助网络决策。
Past studies in supply chain management have focused on dyadic relationships (e.g., buyer–supplier), as all relationships in a network begin with a dyad. However, dyads do not capture the essence of a network. We posit in this paper that triads are the fundamental building blocks of a network. To begin considering triads in supply networks, we build on two extant bodies of literature — the buyer–supplier relationship and supplier–supplier relationship literature which offer us the context of buyer–supplier–supplier triads. By doing so, we are taking the first step toward cracking the internal dynamics of triads in supply networks. To build theoretical propositions, we apply balance theory and the structural‐hole concept. We identify nine triadic archetypes of buyer–supplier–supplier relationships and state key propositions that aid in decision making in supply networks.