Strategic purchasing, supply management, and firm performance
研究了战略采购如何通过促进与少数供应商的紧密合作、开放沟通和长期关系导向，提升供应管理和客户响应能力，最终改善公司财务绩效。基于221家美国制造企业的数据，用结构方程模型验证了这些关系。
Abstract Purchasing has increasingly assumed a pivotal strategic role in supply‐chain management. Yet, claims of the strategic role of purchasing have not been fully subjected to rigorous theoretical and empirical scrutiny. Extant research has remained largely anecdotal and theoretically under‐developed. In this paper, we examine the links among strategic purchasing, supply management, and firm performance. We argue that strategic purchasing can engender sustainable competitive advantage by enabling firms to: (a) foster close working relationships with a limited number of suppliers; (b) promote open communication among supply‐chain partners; and (c) develop long‐term strategic relationship orientation to achieve mutual gains. Using structural equation modeling, we empirically test a number of hypothesized relationships based on a sample of 221 United States manufacturing firms. Our results provide robust support for the links between strategic purchasing, supply management, customer responsiveness, and financial performance of the buying firm. Implications for future research and managerial practice in supply‐chain management are also offered.