Supply-Chain Strategy: Organizational Influence Through Supplier Alliances

The role of supply-chain management as an integral element in corporate strategy has been discussed in prior research, mostly at a broad conceptual level with relatively little empirical validation. This paper uses data from a longitudinal study of buyer-supplier relationships to evaluate the impact from firms' recent initiatives in developing strategic supplier alliances on the role played by the supply management effort in the corporate hierarchy. Contrary to anticipated results, the use of an alliance approach did not lead to any appreciable improvement in status and respect for supply management's role in developing corporate strategy. While several suggestions are offered to explain these results, the major conceptual models of supply-chain strategy are reassessed and a more appropriate and grounded framework for study is proposed. Further research is called for to empirically verify the link between strategic consideration for supply issues and firm success.