The micro-processes of supplier satisfaction: A longitudinal multiple case study
通过18个买方-供应商关系的纵向多案例研究，揭示了供应商满意度如何形成及其与供应商绩效关系的微观过程，发现满意度水平在买方行为不符预期时变化不大，且供应商内部组织动态影响满意度与绩效的关系。
Supplier satisfaction has often been argued to be an important determinant for supplier performance in the buyer-supplier relationship. The micro-processes of how supplier satisfaction develops and how it relates to supplier performance, however, are not well understood. By means of a longitudinal multiple case study design of 18 buyer-supplier relationships, this paper provides insights into the micro-processes of how supplier satisfaction develops. Our findings provide several new insights. First, we observed how supplier satisfaction levels showed little change even though the buyer's behavior did not align with the supplier's expectations, thereby nuancing current conceptualizations of supplier satisfaction being a function of expected and realized relational value. Second, we show how intra organizational dynamics at the supplier influence the relationship between supplier satisfaction and supplier performance. Third, our findings give insights into the complex interplay between the relational and economic antecedents of supplier satisfaction.