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

has been some recent evidence that inferences from cross-sectional studies about causality may
not be much different from inferences about longitudinal studies (Rindfleisch et al., 2008).
ii) Limited sample of industries for depth. We traded off depth for width within our industry
sectors. However, specific sectors may vary more with supplier responsiveness than others. For
instance, in the commodities industry, price may be more of a determining factor, whereas in
the technical goods industrial sector the supplier response may be a key determining factor as
to whether relationships continue. Future studies could concentrate on a few sectors and check
the robustness of our findings across various moderators, such as market turbulence and
increased technological risk.
iii) Quasi-experimental design using financial and perceptual data in tandem. Prior studies of
market orientation have found conflicts between objective and subjective measures of
performance (Narver & Slater, 1990). To determine whether our findings actually reflect real
financial market sentiments and accounting data, future studies can use financial data in
tandem with perceptual data.
iv) Wider comparison of measurement metrics. In the current study, we only use idiosyncratic
risk, which within itself is a important indicator of the potential returns involved with any
relationship. However, risk is not the sole metric in the literature. Future studies might include
a wider array of metrics to examine which are better indicators than others and why. For
instance, examining idiosyncratic risk in comparison to inventory turnover metrics or debt
leverage metrics could be an interesting avenue.
v) Comparison of more strategies with supplier responsiveness for reducing idiosyncratic risk.
We only examine one strategy, which is market orientation as a means of reducing
idiosyncratic risk. However, there are other strategies and orientations, such as a technology
orientation or a market leadership strategy. The ways in which these strategies and orientations
influence strategic supplier-buyer relationships and their idiosyncratic risk outcomes could be
of potential interest.
vi) Use of various research methods other than surveys. The research design could be
improved upon specifically with reference to Chapter 3. Some researchers have indicated that
ethnographies should be employed to research issues related to culture (Langerak, 2001). The
advantage in their opinion is that organizational culture can be better documented by long-term
observation techniques, such as ethnographies. Therefore, future researchers could employ an
ethnography for a deeper understanding of the supplier responsiveness-buyer firm performance
relationship.
vii) Comparison of more diverse countries. In chapter 3 although the US and The
Netherlands are different in some respects, they share similarities as well. Both are
industrialized nations, both are vibrant democracies, both have capitalist economies, both
have a degree of similar occidental culture, and both nations are internationally
competitive economies (Deshpande & Webster, 1989). Some cultural idiosyncrasies do
occur, such as acceptance of boasting on job interviews in the United States and the
preference for modesty in job interviews in The Netherlands, but nevertheless, they both
can be considered western cultures.
However a comparison with an Asian culture would have provided a more diverse
comparison. China is a growing world trade power, it is a communist nation, and it has a
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