Authors: Deirdre Fleming; Jaana Tähtinen; Pat Lynch
This paper explores the sub process of renegotiation: which we argue is the first step of the process of repair in buyer-supplier relationships. The repair process of buyer-supplier relationships involves both communication and actions by one or both actors. During this process and before any repair actions take place, both buyers and suppliers must renegotiate the future of their relationships through communication because trust, attraction and commitment have been damaged during the breakdown. The examination of this sub process sheds more light on the dynamic nature of repairing relationships. Unless actors understand the importance of renegotiation, they may not be able to save their valued relationships. The empirical setting for this research paper is Irish SME buyer-supplier relationships across manufacturing and services industries. The critical incident technique was adopted to interpret and explore SME’s experiences of repairing buyer-supplier relationships after a breakdown (Flanagan, 1954: Shurr, 2007). Empirical findings suggest that renegotiation involves open communication in order to rebuild trust, attraction and commitment. In addition the factors influencing renegotiation include: the timing of renegotiations, the presence of senior management, the existence interpersonal relationships and third party involvement. The contribution of this study provides a greater understanding of the repair phenomenon through the examination of this sub process of renegotiation and the factors influencing it. It is a crucial point in the process of repair as it increases the potential to continue repair.
Journal: n.a. (n.a. – n.a.)
Web Address: n.a.
Publish Year: 2016
Conference: Poznan, Poland (2016)