Identify Factors Affecting Continuity of Cooperative Relationships of Electronic Supply Chain: Case of Taiwanese Vehicle Industry

• Main Authors: Ying-Pin Yeh, 葉英斌
• Other Authors: William Jen
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2004
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/38jh4t

博士 === 國立交通大學 === 運輸科技與管理學系 === 93 === Given today’s rapid development of the Internet and e-commerce, motor manufacturers are applying Internet technology and tools to integrate their supply chain. To improve product design, manufacturing and transportation, the continuity of a cooperative supply chain relationship among suppliers and manufacturers is critical. Generally speaking, if suppliers can trust the firms they supply, they’ll share precise information resulting in a reduction of unnecessary operations for all supply chain members. Transaction costs can then be reduced, and the bullish effect will decrease. Supplier attitudes and solid long-term supplier-manufacturer relationships are important in adding value to the supply chain. After reviewing the related literature, this study has developed a research framework that integrates the three perspectives of resource dependence, risk perception, and relationship marketing to identify the factors affecting the relationship continuity of a cooperative electronic supply chain. After constructing a structural equation model, empirical testing on 851 raw material and spare parts suppliers for the Taiwanese motor industry was conducted. All path coefficients in the proposed model were statistically significant, and were as hypothesized. The primary contribution of this research is the integration of constructs associated with resources and environmental uncertainty, with relationship marketing constructs, into a coherent model that jointly predicts supplier acceptance and relationships continuity of e-commerce. The continuity of cooperative electronic supply chain relationship involves multi-faceted approaches and multivariate problems. Selecting just one of the three approaches of relationship marketing, resource dependence and risk perception for study resulted in some deficiencies. For instance, only the approach of relationship marketing is explored, resource dependence and risk perception are neglected. Although an understanding of supplier willingness to cooperate and support the system of the vehicle company is gained, it is impossible to know whether the suppliers will cooperate when the system requires resource investment and adjustment, or whether they will perceive system risk differently, possibly leading to a disparate course of action. Additionally, if the continuity of cooperative electronic relationship is explored directly through communication rather than mediating variables, then it is impossible to gain a comprehensive understanding of the influences and causal model in the approach of relationship marketing. Following communication, the vehicle company still must win the trust and ultimately commitment of suppliers before it can be assured of supplier willingness to engage in continuous cooperation. This empirical study provides consistent support for the B2B e-commerce acceptance model. Given the high explanatory power of the resulting model, it is likely to serve as the basic model for enhanced understanding and predicting suppliers’ behavior of cooperative electronic relationships.