Studies On The Value Of Cooperation Relationship In Electronic Components Distribution--Based On Electronic Equipment Manufacturer's Point Of View

The electronic components distribution industry is gaining more power with the fast pace of the development in electronic manufacturing marketplace, such as information technology and telecommunication market in China. The electronic components distribution market highlights annual revenue worth a total of near 300 billion RMB last year, which discloses that the distributors become critical links in the electronic components supply chain. Distributors can achieve success only per the establishment of sound cooperation relationship with partners in the supply chain. However, local distributors play passively adapting roles in the relationship at the moment. This paper focuses on the approaches for distributors to boost the cooperation relationship value proactively in vehement competition environment.Based on the literature review on the theories of strategic alliance, customer relationship management and supply chain management, this paper, from the electronic equipment manufacturer's point of view, defined the electronic components distributors as strategic partners in the supply chain and explored the value foundation and governance mechanism of the relationship between electronic components distributors and equipment manufacturers. A conceptual relationship value model was introduced and verified by empirical research. It can help distributors to satisfy and pilot electronic equipment manufacturers' demands and add value to them proactively, which will extraordinarily promotes the relationship.A questionnaire survey was implemented and 151 valid samples were adopted which came from over 80 electronic equipment manufacturers in China. Based on electronic equipment manufacturer's point of view, the analysis in aid of SPSS (Statistical Packagefor Social Sciences) for the relationship value model revealed that:1. The cooperation relationship with the electronic components distributor includes six value factors. They are primary competence, technical support, sales service, marketing on line, industry information and e-commerce.2. The maintenance mechanism of this cooperation relationship includes five factors. They are communication & trust, dependence, evaluation management, common vision and punishment.3. Different equipment manufacturers varied on weighing six value factors of the cooperation relationship and five factors of maintenance mechanism in the model, which gives electronic components distributors approaches to distinguish customer segment and take diverse actions.This paper concentrated on studying the value of cooperation relationship between electronic components distributor and its downstream partner electronic equipment manufacturer from the latter's view. In fact, it is also an important relationship between electronic components distributor and its upstream partner electronic components manufacturer. Moreover, these two relationships are embedded in the complex electronic supply network consists of more than one electronic components manufacturer, other distributors and multiple electronic equipment manufacturers. Future studies on governance and value realization for this network will be of great significance.