Antecedents to supplier integration in the automotive industry: A multiple‐case study of foreign subsidiaries in China
通过对30家在华外资汽车子公司进行案例访谈，识别出买方领导力是促进供应商整合的关键因素，它通过建立信任和承诺、塑造供应商心态，最终实现战略协同和协作能力。
Abstract Supplier integration has become an important concept for improving supply chain performance. The aim of this paper is to identify factors that facilitate and inhibit supplier integration in the context of the Chinese automotive industry. An inductive approach based on grounded theory was chosen as the research methodology, where data was collected through 30 detailed case interviews with subsidiaries of foreign automotive companies operating in China. The results indicate that buyer‐side leadership is an important antecedent for building motivation, trust, and commitment among suppliers and for shaping their mindsets. This, in turn, facilitates strategic alignment and enables suppliers to build collaborative capabilities, which are finally shown to be a key enabler for successful supplier integration.