The Role and position of information technology in strategic buyer-supplier relationships
: Hannu Makkonen, Mervi Vuori
: Minna Rollins, University of West Georgia
Brian Rutherford, Kennesaw State University
: Atlanta, USA
: 2013
: IMP2013 Proceedings: Building and Managing Relationships in a Global Network
: IMP 2013 Proceedings
: 29
One driver for the emergence of a network society comprises the exponential rise of the ubiquity and reach of information technology (IT) that enables effective value co-creation between organizations. Despite the importance of IT in inter-organizational relationships, the major part of the extant research has presented one sided and partial approaches to the topic. For this reason, the current article adopts a holistic qualitative case study approach in aiming to define how IT posits to the various elements of the strategic buyer-supplier relationship. This study provides a conceptual and empirical based analysis, defines the role and position of IT regarding the defined three layers of a relationship, and discusses the implications for theory and practice. The study prepare the ground for further qualitative and quantitative research in order to enhance a holistic understanding of IT in relation to the various structures and processes in organizational and inter-organizational contexts.