Essays on supplier responsiveness and buyer firm value - Nyenrode ...

Regarding the resource-based view and market-based assets theory, market-based
assets are those assets that fulfill the requirements of the resource-based view (Srivastava,
Shervani, & Fahey, 1998). Primarily, these are whether the assets are inimitable, hold
value, are rare, and lack perfect substitutes. The link is discussed in chapter two in terms
of building up market-based assets through internal processes. A key antecedent of
building market-based assets that was not previously identified is IdRR. IdRR qualifies
on all four of the resource-based view tests. Furthermore, a reduction in IdRR can be
detected by the external marketplace by increased buyer firm performance. This leads to
a position of prestige for the supplier and adds value to the supplier’s brand that is
difficult to replicate because this increase in brand value is based on knowledge that the
supplier has, and it can only be gained by working in a specific sector and with a specific
customer. Linimar is a case in point. It has recently outperformed market expectations
because of its responsiveness as a supplier and, as a result, it has acquired a position of
prestige in the market (Marketwire, 2007).
Similar to the contribution to the market orientation theory of this dissertation,
market-based assets theory has focused on the inter-firm perspective rather than the intrafirm
perspective. By focusing on the benefits that both the supplier and the buyer acquire
via IdRR reduction, this study adds a new dimension to the theory.
Regarding brand theory, in business-to-business branding, some scholars have
argued that successful B2B brands require risk reduction, increased information
efficiency, and image benefit creation (Kotler, & Pfoertsch, 2006). Though these facets
have been highlighted, how the different processes work and the sequence of brand value
creation through these various mechanisms has not been explored. In chapter two of this
dissertation, we explore the sequence of activities that creates brand value. This led to the
supplier responsiveness/IdRR/supplier brand value/customer value sequence. This
dissertation is a clarification of how the activities of brand building interact with each
other to create supplier brand value and customer performance value.
Regarding performance measurement theory, in the fourth chapter of this
dissertation, we deal with the thorny issue of performance measures. In the taxonomy of
marketing performance measures, a broad categorization that is applied is the distinction
between subjective and objective performance measures. Though some scholars have
recognized that subjective and objective performance measures are imperfect substitutes
for one another, other scholars expect that such measures should reinforce each other
because they measure similar phenomena. One of our findings is straightforward:
subjective and objective performance measures do not reinforce each other in the context
of the model outlined in Chapter 2. However, our qualitative interviews revealed
auxiliary insights, one of which was that managers do not expect such measures to
reinforce each other. This could be because subjective and objective measurement differ.
The contribution of our research is that we recognize that, although marketing initiatives
have a positive influence on performance, revealing the performance of all types of
measurement is not suitable.
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