'Soft' supplier management related issues: An empirical investigation

A research project recently undertaken by the authors focused on supplier management related issues and the extent to which they are shaped by the organizational culture and structure. The project was conducted in the Hospitality industry and employed an inductive methodological approach in order to collect rich information from six organizations. The organizations represent different structuring models as well as distinct underlying culture-related principles. The findings challenge the assumption regarding beneficial universal applicability of many practices such as 'Purchasing Consortia', 'Service Level Agreements' and the establishment of long-term relationships. Our analysis also suggests that organizational culture and structure are reflected on the supplier management approaches adopted by the organizations under consideration.