Exploring integrated solutions in the supply chain context: a dyadic perspective in an emerging economy setting

Abstract

Provision of integrated solutions is a relational process in which suppliers address buyers’ unique requirements through the integration of physical goods, services and knowledge. Although the integrated solutions in the supply chain context require both parties’ involvement to the process, the concept is not yet fully understood from the dual perspectives of buyers and suppliers. This study explores integrated solutions process in the supply chain context from a dyadic perspective, in an emerging economy setting. The chosen setting is particularly important, due to the possibility of market dynamics affecting the process of integrated solutions. We adopt a perspective of dyadic relationship between buyers and suppliers in supply chains and use multiple case study research design to analyse relations between leading manufacturing companies and their suppliers in the consumer durables industry. Findings reveal a need for a new viewpoint based on a cyclical solutions process. Findings also show suppliers’ limited awareness on integrated solutions, despite their full involvement in the integrated solutions creation process. Thus, one of the critical findings is the integration solutions process starts with the need recognition of the buyer. We develop a framework detailing the capabilities and tools needed for each stage of the integrated solutions process. Additionally, we propose a new definition for integrated solutions in the supply chain context, from a dyadic perspective in an emerging economy setting. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that explores the concept in the supply chain context reflecting a dyadic perspective of buyers and their multiple suppliers in an emerging economy context.

Keywords:

• Integrated solutions
• supply chain
• buyer-supplier relations
• product-service bundles
• emerging economy

Acknowledgements

The authors have contributed equally to the production of this paper. The authors would like to thank Professor Wantao Yu, Professor Elaine Harris, and anonymous reviewers for commenting on this paper. They also thank Ozlem Ertugrul for her support on data collection.

Notes

1 For confidentiality reasons, for the two manufacturers headquartered in European countries, neither the company names nor their home countries are revealed.

2 These required capabilities, and tools & techniques are also given in “Figure 4 ‘Final conceptual model for a cyclical integrated solutions process’”, which is presented at the end of the Discussion and conclusions section.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Oznur Yurt

Dr. Oznur Yurt is a Senior Lecturer in Operations and Supply Chain Management at the Open University Business School, United Kingdom. Prior joining the Open University, she worked at the University of Roehampton, where she conducted this research. She is an Adjunct Professor of Marketing & Supply Chain Management at the Department of Logistics Management, Izmir University of Economics in Turkey. She holds two PhDs, from Izmir University of Economics and University of Miskolc (Hungary). She conducted her post-doctoral studies as a visiting researcher at the Cranfield School of Management and the University of Plymouth. Prior joining the academia she worked in the banking industry as a management trainee in marketing. Her research interests lie at the intersection of supply chain management and business-to-business marketing. Her recent research focuses on service supply chains, buyer-supplier relations, food supply chains and sustainable supply chains. Her research outputs have appeared in leading journals such as Industrial Marketing Management, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Service Theory and Practice, Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, The Service Industries Journal, and Resources, Conservation and Recycling.

Cansu Yildirim

Dr. Cansu Yildirim received her Bachelor’s Degree from the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Izmir University of Economics in 2009. After getting her MSc Degree in Operations, Project and Supply Chain Management from University of Manchester (2010), she took a scholarship from Izmir University of Economics, and received her PhD Degree in 2015, with a Marketing major. In 2016, she was assigned as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Maritime Business Administration at Dokuz Eylul University. She has publications in Journal of Consumer Behaviour, Journal of Brand Management, and Journal of Service Theory and Practice.