A study of supplier networks and buyer firms' NPD performance

Abstract

Abstract: This paper investigates the effects of supplier networks' embeddedness and heterogeneity on buyer firms' NPD performance. Using structural equation modeling method to analyze data from 192 firms in Chinese manufacturing sectors, we find that social relational embeddedness of supplier networks has no significant effect on creativity or speed of NPD activities. However, IT-embeddedness correlates positively with two outcomes of NPD activities. Structural embeddedness correlates positively with the speed of buyer firms' NPD activities, but does not affect NPD creativity. Both geographical and technological heterogeneities of supplier networks improve NPD creativity, but do not have a significant influence on the speed of NPD activities.

Key words: new product development, supplier network, NPD creativity, NPD speed

CLC Number:

F273.2

Xie En, Chen Xin. A study of supplier networks and buyer firms' NPD performance[J]. Science Research Management, 2015, 36(6): 20-27.

References

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