| The purpose of this study was to investigate the business-to-business electronic reverse auction. The electronic reverse auction is an electronic procurement tool utilized to procure products and services for the firm by reducing the final negotiation between two or more parties down to only the lowest total cost. By 2002, the value of the business-to-business auction market is expected to increase to ;This qualitative study offers insights into situations when the electronic reverse auction is the most appropriate method for acquiring items for the firm. The influence of the electronic reverse auction as an intervenor in a contract negotiation was investigated by testing a proposed model through an intensive field study at a major third-party provider and telephone interviews with early adopters. The respondents involved in the telephone interviews were elite interviewees that were responsible for developing and implementing procurement strategy within their firms. The respondents were questioned to determine if they perceived the electronic reverse auction as a valuable procurement tool that will be reused during future procurements. Qualitative Solutions and Research's non-numerical unstructured data indexing searching and theorizing qualitative software was utilized to code, sort, and analyze the resultant data from the open-ended questions.;The study concludes with a revised model, implications for theory and practice, limitations, directions for future research, and best practices. The findings of this study should increase the understanding of the use and the effectiveness of the electronic reverse auction among procurement professionals and academicians. |
