The Influence of Customer Scope on Supplier Learning and Performance in the Japanese Automobile Industry

Kentaro Nobeoka, Jeffrey H Dyer and Anoop Madhok
Additional contact information
Kentaro Nobeoka: Kobe University
Jeffrey H Dyer: Brigham Young University
Anoop Madhok: Brigham Young University

Journal of International Business Studies, 2002, vol. 33, issue 4, 717-736

Abstract: Most studies of Japanese supplier-automaker relationships have focused on the nature of the dyadic interfirm relationship and the performance of the assembler. We examine the relationship from the point of view of the supplier and argue that a broad “customer scope strategy” (i.e., number of customers) leads to superior performance, primarily because of learning opportunities. In addressing these learning opportunities, we draw attention to the important distinction between relation-specific and re-deployable knowledge and the complementary relationship between them. Our analysis of 125 Japanese suppliers supports the key argument that less exclusive ties may be a superior strategy. The argument has important implications for vertical integration and the structure of buyer-supplier relations.© 2002 JIBS. Journal of International Business Studies (2002) 33, 717–736

Date: 2002
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (25)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.palgrave-journals.com/jibs/journal/v33/n4/pdf/8491041a.pdf Link to full text PDF (application/pdf)
http://www.palgrave-journals.com/jibs/journal/v33/n4/full/8491041a.html Link to full text HTML (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:jintbs:v:33:y:2002:i:4:p:717-736

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... nt/journal/41267/PS2

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of International Business Studies is currently edited by John Cantwell

More articles in Journal of International Business Studies from Palgrave Macmillan, Academy of International Business
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().