Mirjam Kibbeling

Mirjam I. Kibbeling

As a result of ongoing outsourcing of business activities, ?rms have become dependent on their suppliers to realize superior performance. Traditionally, the focus of purchasing and supply management has been on cost reduction. However, today ?rms turn more often to their suppliers for matters such as innovation, reduction of their carbon footprint and improved customer value propositions. This dissertation deals with the question how suppliers contribute to a ?rm’s value creation processes. When defining value, we differentiate between customer value, societal value and shareholder value. These stakeholder perspectives underlie the three empirical studies of this dissertation. We examine the effects of market orientation, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and supplier orientation on innovation, CSR reputation, customer satisfaction and firm performance. The research is based on a unique empirical design in which data have been collected from 88 matched supply chains, each consisting of a supplier, a focal firm, and a customer. The research results show that CSR is a key driver of innovation. Furthermore, a firm’s financial performance is boosted by the ?rm’s supplier orientation. Finally, suppliers’ innovativeness appears an important external driver for developing more innovative customer solutions and, thus, for realizing customer satisfaction and future ?rm performance.

Mirjam I. Kibbeling & Arjan J. van Weele

In deze publicatie staat de vraag centraal hoe waarde te creëren door ketensamenwerking. Aan de hand van ketenonderzoek in 86 ketens van bedrijven – bestaande uit een kernbedrijf, een leverancier en een klant – belichten wij de rol van leveranciers bij het realiseren van klantwaarde, maatschappelijke waarde en aandeelhouderswaarde. De resultaten van het onderzoek zijn bemoedigend. Marktgerichtheid en duurzaam ondernemen blijken essentiële aanjagers van innovatie en vernieuwing in voortbrengingsketens.