University of Twente Student Theses
The influence of corporate culture on the preferred customer status : a multiple case study with one buying company and three of its suppliers
Fitschen, H. (2018) The influence of corporate culture on the preferred customer status : a multiple case study with one buying company and three of its suppliers.
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| Abstract: | In the business environment of today, the phenomenon of the scarcity of accomplished suppliers is not new. It is, therefore, becoming more important to satisfy such suppliers to secure the allocation of resources. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of corporate culture on buyer-supplier relationships and on the preferred customer status. Qualitative data were collected through a small sample case study involving one buying firm and three of its suppliers. This study indicates that several factors in a buyer-supplier relationship influence the level of supplier satisfaction and the preferred customer status. Supplier satisfaction is achieved if a buyer meets or exceeds the expectations of its supplier. Factors that enhance the level of satisfaction are relational and economic factors as well as characteristics of the corporate culture. The literature review aligns with these findings of relational and economic factors. Findings of the influence of the corporate culture belong to a new research field. Limitations of this study include a limited sample size, which can be increased in future related studies, to increase the significance of these findings. Furthermore, this research relied on interview responses of German companies with one single representative of each company, which might restrict the validity and the international generalizability. It can be argued that it is beneficial when a company has a corporate culture that values the same traits in a business relationship as its suppliers. Additionally, these findings indicate that it is advantageous to be a big customer for a supplier to achieve preferential treatment. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 85 business administration, organizational science |
| Programme: | International Business Administration BSc (50952) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/75502 |
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