| Supply chain integration (SCI) has received increasing attention from academic researchers and practitioners in recent years. However, our knowledge of what influences SCI, and how SCI influences the performance of supply chains and companies within the supply chains, is still very limited. This research is an effort to remedy that deficiency by empirically examining power, relationship commitment, and their impact on SCI and performance based on the data collected from 617 manufacturing companies in China. This dissertation consists of three studies.; In Study 1, a taxonomy of SCI is developed based on three main types of SCI that are defined and measured in this study. Supply chain performance, operational performance and financial performance of the firms within the supply chain are investigated across five types of SCI patterns identified in the taxonomy. Study 1 also examines the factors influencing SCI pattern, such as competitive hostility, company size, and industry, among others. In Study 2, the impact of relationship commitment on SCI is investigated. We investigate two types of relationship commitment and their impact on integration and performance from both supplier and customer sides. In Study 3, five types of power used by suppliers or customers and their impacts on manufacturers' two types of relationship commitment, SCI, and supply chain performance are examined.; Theoretically, this research contributes to transaction cost theory, social exchange theory and power-relationship commitment theory. It extends RCM research and relationship marketing research from traditional dyadic relationships in two-level supply chains to triadic relationships in three-level supply chains. The managerial implications and guidelines developed from this study will help the companies enhance their global competitiveness by developing and managing relationships with their trading partners to achieve the more effective integration of the internal and external processes within the supply chain.; Keywords. Supply Chain Integration, Performance, Relationship Commitment, Power, China... |
