Research On Supplier Adaptive Behavior And Its Influencing Factors

It is an important way for manufacturers to promote core competence and strengthen market competitiveness to gain resources externally.Manufacturers can input required resources from suppliers by urging them to make adaptive behaviors.In manufacturer-supplier dyad,supplier adaptive behavior is the activity which aims to meet the needs of manufacturers made by suppliers.Suppliers serve manufacturers with professional knowledge,techniques and innovative ability in the process of making adaptive behaviors,which can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of operating activities of manufacturers and win competitive advantage for manufacturers.There are two important topics for manufacturers,namely to clarify the content structure of supplier adaptive behavior and explore the influencing factors of supplier adaptive behavior.Scholars have realized supplier adaptive behaviors embody many aspects.However,they haven't specialized in the content structure.At present,there lacks an effective measurement.Scholars have researched the influencing factors of supplier adaptive behavior and gained some factors.Nevertheless,they haven't pointed out the levels which supplier adaptive behavior contains.Furthermore,the mechanism of the influencing factors is not clear.The influencing factors of supplier adaptive behavior need to be further studied..The paper investigates the content structure and measurement of supplier adaptive behavior,explore the influencing factors,test their effects and reveal the mechanism.The formal measurement scale of supplier adaptive behavior was formed applying document research,firm interviews and pretest.Common factors were extracted using exploratory factor analysis method and the stability of factor structure was tested by confirmatory factor analysis method.The reliability and validity of the scale were also tested.The levels of influencing factors of supplier adaptive behavior were put forward by constituting a analysis framework based on transactional and relational perspectives.The influencing factors were extracted from each level by means of theoretical analysis and enterprise interviews.The conceptual model was constructed and research hypotheses were put forward after analyzing the extracted factors.The data were collected by large sample survey,with Chinese manufacturers the respondents.The whole structural model was carried out fitting analysis and the research hypotheses were tested.The results of the study indicate that firstly supplier adaptive behavior contains five dimensions,namely production adaptive behavior,delivery adaptive behavior,technique adaptive behavior,product adaptive behavior and operations strategy adaptive behavior.The developed scale has good reliability and validity.Secondly,the influencing factors contain four levels,namely supplier,manufacturer,relationship and environmental.The influencing factors of supplier level include supplier capability and top management support.The influencing factors of manufacturer level consist of the demand uncertainty of manufacturer and long-term orientation of manufacturer.The influencing factors of relationship level contain supplier trust,supplier dependence,supplier commitment,communication,reciprocity and the Guanxi between the personnel of the two firms.The influencing factors of environmental level cover competitive intensity and technology uncertainty.Thirdly,supplier capability and top management support have significant positive influences on supplier adaptive behavior.The demand uncertainty of manufacturer and long-term orientation of manufacturer also have significant positive effects.Supplier trust,supplier dependence and supplier commitment have significant positive effects on supplier adaptive behavior.Meanwhile,communication,reciprocity and Guanxi between the personnel of the two firms have indirect effects on supplier adaptive behavior mediated by supplier trust.Communication,reciprocity,Guanxi between the personnel of the two firms,supplier trust and supplier dependency have indirect effects on supplier adaptive behavior mediated by supplier commitment.Competitive intensity has significant positive influence on supplier adaptive behavior.However,technology uncertainty has no significant effect.Therefore,supplier adaptive behaviors are the outcome of combined action of the factors coming from the four levels.The research conclusions are helpful to clarify the content structure of supplier adaptive behavior,implement classification management based on the evaluation index system of supplier adaptive behaviors,construct a measurement of supplier adaptive behavior with good reliability and validity and provide an operational tool.Moreover,the results are helpful to understand the reasons of supplier adaptive behaviors from various perspectives and further the study on the management mechanisms of supplier adaptive behaviors,provide theory reference for manufacturers in carrying out management activities of supplier adaptive behaviors.