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The impact of inflation on the buyer-supplier relationship and the preferred customer status : a case study
Dehn, Moritz (2023) The impact of inflation on the buyer-supplier relationship and the preferred customer status : a case study.
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Abstract: | In recent years, a change in the power dynamics of the buyer-supplier relationship has been noticed. While suppliers have traditionally fought to attain and keep customers, it is now also the customers who are seeking a preference of suppliers. In addition to this development, companies are currently exposed to ever-higher inflation rates. The objective of this paper is to answer the question of how inflation affects the buyer-supplier relationship and the increasingly important preferred customer status. In order to address this interrelation, a qualitative case study with five firms in two different industry settings was conducted. The results of this study first showed concordance with existing literature on antecedents of supplier satisfaction, the preferred customer status and associated benefits. While financial and relational aspects have the highest contribution to supplier satisfaction, are price reductions, decrease in lead and cycle time and improvement of support the most essential benefits allocated. Furthermore, the evaluation of propositions provides information on how inflation influences the relationship and the preferred customer status. First, the analysis shows that inflation has an insignificant effect on the buyer-supplier relationship. Furthermore, there is no indication of an impact on the preferred customer status and the associated benefits. |
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/95579 |
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