Suppy chain structure IJPDLM 32,8 708 members. It is truly a synergistic situation, where the entire performance of the channel is improved (Cooper et al., 1997). As previously indicated, one of the prevalent organizational issues, that developed out of the traditional supply chain concept, was the focus on longterm partnerships and strategic alliances. In fact, it has been posited that firmto- firm competition has migrated to supply chain against supply chain, necessitating supply chain integration and strategically developed …
showed first 75 words of 1130 total

showed last 75 words of 1130 total
…in which the vertically integrated structure was ubiquitous, inter-firm relationships were quite adversarial. Buyers and sellers typically operated in arm's-length, independent relationships, competing for resources instead of engaging in cooperative efforts. Furthermore, short-term partnering and multiple-vendor sourcing was prevalent (Watts et al., 1995). The primary benefits associated with the arm's length philosophy centered on cost efficiencies. By creating and maintaining an adversarial, competitive environment, firms were able to realize significant cost benefits when managing external sourcing.