Dissertation: Supply chain partners can be closer than they appear by achieving common goals

– In this era of competition, firms follow the current practices and mainly focus on business development and profitability. However, firms are missing a complete package of important factors that maximize transaction value. As the appropriate ingredients make a happy meal, firms need to realize the importance of effective buyer-supplier relationships for high performance. Therefore this study puts forward a pathway to do that, says Shahzad who will defend his doctoral thesis at the University of Vaasa.

Shahzad’s work offers a set of supplier development strategies for suppliers’ capability and performance. It also explores and identifies the fundamental relationship factors affecting buyer-supplier relationship performance. The results suggest that firms should adopt these relationship management factors to decrease transaction costs and to improve relationship commitment and performance.

– The performance of buyer-supplier relationships depends on adjusting the varying roles of different relationship management factors, Shahzad explains.

Conflicts can arise in any inter-organizational relationship and negatively affect the performance. Managers need to handle these conflicts by using appropriate strategies. The results of this study indicate that problem solving and compromising strategies are the most crucial approaches firms should always prefer in conflicts for a “win-win” solution. Firms should generally avoid themselves from using legalistic strategy because it can negatively affect the relationship.

In his thesis "Managing successful buyer-supplier relationships: Aligning the enabling roles of governance structure” , M.Sc Khuram Shahzad examines buyer-supplier relationships from the perspectives of supplier development, relationship governance mechanisms and conflict resolution strategies. The results are based on mixed methods including both quantitative survey data and qualitative interviews from Finnish MNEs and SMEs to provide a holistic picture. Shahzad proposes an integrated model for managing successful buyer-supplier relationships.

Further information

Khuram Shahzad tel. +358 40 373 9946, e-mail: khuram.shahzad(at)uwasa.fi

Shahzad, Khuram (2018):  Managing successful buyer-supplier relationships: Aligning the enabling roles of governance structure. Acta Wasaensia 398. University of Vaasa.

Publication pdf: /materiaali/pdf/isbn_978-952-476-803-0.pdf
Publication orders: https://verkkokauppa.juvenes.fi/tuote/24677

Public defence

The public examination of M.Sc. Khuram Shahzad’s dissertation in the field of Industrial Management “Managing successful buyer-supplier relationships. Aligning the enabling roles of governance structure” will be held on Thursday, 3^rd May 2018 at 12 o’clock in Auditorium Kurtén, University of Vaasa.

Associate Professor Nor Hazana Abdullah (Universiti Tun Hussien Onn Malaysia) will act as opponent and professor Josu Takala as a custos. The examination will be held in English.