Small and Medium‐Sized Enterprises' Collaborative Buyer–Supplier Relationships: Boundary Spanning Individual Perspectives

Abstract

Boundary‐spanning individuals (BSIs) play a critical role in supply chain management, especially in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) where interactions with buyers and suppliers can depend heavily on just a few individuals. This study, utilizing data from Korean manufacturing‐sector SMEs, explores whether cooperative social value orientations of SMEs' BSIs influence the effects of collaborative buyer‐supplier initiatives. The results suggested that the performance implication of decision‐sharing initiative increases when BSIs have a high level of cooperative social value orientation. However, it also negatively moderates the relationship between risk/benefit sharing (involving financial losses or gains) and performance suggesting possible negative side effects. However, we found that such orientation also negatively moderates the relationship between risk/benefit sharing (involving direct financial losses or gains) and relationship performance suggesting possible negative side effects.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Byung‐gak Son

Byung‐Gak Son is senior lecturer in the Faculty of Management at the Cass Business School.

Byoung‐chun Ha

Byoung‐Chun Ha is professor in the Business School at the Sogang University.

Tae‐hee Lee

Tae‐Hee Lee is assistant professor in the Department of International Trade & Commerce at the Keimyung University.