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Important factors influencing maturity perception : a research to identify possible factors which are important for the maturity perception of suppliers

Kemper, Annemarijn (2017) Important factors influencing maturity perception : a research to identify possible factors which are important for the maturity perception of suppliers.

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Abstract:Maturity perception is an important factor for suppliers to award preferred customer status. Previous research hardly states some antecedents important for maturity perception. Maturity is the level of professionalism and sophistication of the purchasing function. This research knows two points of attention. On the one hand factors are identified to see what suppliers perceive as maturity. On the other hand, the difference is measured between the maturity perception of suppliers and the actual maturity level. Therefore, the actual maturity level is also measured in this research by use of a maturity model. The maturity model of Schiele (2007) is adapted to make it suitable for service organisations as literature also suggests. Among others, a contract management sub dimension is added in this maturity model. The adjusted maturity model and the identification of important factors for maturity perception are tested in a financial services organisation. At first, a survey is conducted at suppliers to find out what factors are important in the maturity perception of suppliers. Four factors are identified by use of an analysis in Partial Least Square path modelling software. Contact accessibility, innovation potential, reliability and involvement are confirmed to have a positive relation with the maturity perception of suppliers. Subsequently, the maturity level is measured. The results of the factors that have an influence on maturity perception are compared with results from the maturity model to identify a possible difference. Suppliers perceive maturity more positive than buyers themselves. However, important to notice is the exploratory character of the comparison of the results as measurement instruments are not fully enough aligned to make a clear and proper comparison. Therefore, further research should be conducted with two, better aligned, measurement instruments. This research is unique because it identifies factors important for maturity perception of suppliers. Additionally, it connects the maturity perception of suppliers to the actual maturity level of purchasing. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first research in doing an attempt to identify a possible link.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:85 business administration, organizational science
Programme:Business Administration MSc (60644)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/72267
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