Conceptual framework for the characterization of the order promising process in a collaborative selling network context

In recent years, the creation of supply chains (SCs) and selling networks (SNs) has offered firms new business opportunities based on collaboration and cooperation. One of these opportunities consists in a better response to dynamic market needs by marketing products/services packages (PS-Ps) with greater added value for the client. The aim of this work is to define a conceptual framework to support the characterization, design, and/or management of one of the key processes in client satisfaction and operational efficiency: the order promising process (OPP) in the context of collaborative selling network (CSN), which markets PS-Ps. To attain this objective, a research method based initially on the search for studies was followed to help define a conceptual framework for OPP characterization, and also the elements and structure it should have. On the basis of this initial search, a structure for a conceptual framework for the characterization of the OPP is proposed and specific studies that assist in determining and defining the contents of such a conceptual framework are analyzed. With the proposed conceptual framework, the members of a CSN can easily and systematically identify and define all the aspects that influence the OPP in a collaborative context, and may design the process in such a way that client satisfaction and SN efficiency are maximized. Furthermore, the framework structure and contents may be useful to analyze existing literature from a scientific point of view, thus enabling the identification of future lines of research.