Relationships Between Supply Characteristics and Buyer-Supplier Coupling in E-Procurement: An Empirical Analysis

This study explores the resource dependency and relational exchange theories of understanding firms’ participation in e-procurement, and seeks to determine the degree to which the resource dependency theory variables — supply importance, supply complexity, supply market dynamism, and availability of alternatives — affect information exchange and operational linkages, the relational exchange theory variables. Data was gathered from the Institute for Supply Management and the Council of Logistics Management members using the survey technique. Supply importance and supply complexity primarily predict information exchange and operational linkages. Study findings reconfirm the important impact of environmental and market uncertainty on firm responses, as echoed in past studies.