Value Creation in the Relationship Life Cycle: A Quasi-Longitudinal Analysis

Among the growing literature on value creation in collaborative buyer-seller relationships, most researchers examine relationship value at a single point in time. In the present research, we explore whether different stages of the relationship life cycle moderate the relative importance of value-creating dimensions. To shed light on the dynamic nature of value in B2B relationships, we present the results of a survey among purchasing managers using a quasilongitudinal research design. Our findings confirm the moderating role of the life cycle in relationship value creation. More precisely, our results indicate that a key supplier’s potential for value creation in customer’s operations increases in relative importance as relationships move through the life cycle. In turn, a supplier’s capabilities to create superior value at the level of the customer’s sourcing process display a decreasing role over the life cycle of a business relationship. No significant link was found in the present study between value creation through a supplier’s core offering and different stages of a buyer-seller relationship.