Title: Collaborating for customisation: an extended resource-based view of the firm

Authors: Brian Squire, Paul D. Cousins, Steve Brown

Addresses: Decision Sciences and Operations Management Group, Manchester Business School, The University of Manchester, Manchester M15 6PB, UK. ' Decision Sciences and Operations Management Group, Manchester Business School, The University of Manchester, Manchester M15 6PB, UK. ' School of Business and Economics, University of Exeter, Streatham Court, Rennes Drive, Exeter EX4 4PU, UK

Abstract: Mass customisation denotes the ability to provide customised products and services at a comparable price and speed of equivalent standard offerings. Management literature has suggested that the advent of mass customisation compels firms towards greater collaboration in the supply chain (Berman, 2002; Feitzinger and Lee, 1997; Da Silveira et al., 2001). However, evidence supporting this proposition remains anecdotal. This study seeks to develop and test a model that addresses the question: what are the benefits of buyer–supplier collaboration within the context of mass customisation? The study indicates that buyer–supplier collaboration may have significant effects on the focal firm|s flexibility, responsiveness and modularisation capabilities, three capabilities shown to be critical to mass customisation. The results provide empirical support for the original proposition and have important implications for |mass customised| supply chains.

Keywords: buyer–supplier collaboration; empirical research; flexibility; mass customisation; modularisation; resource-based view; responsiveness; supply chain cooperation; supply chain management; SCM; buyer–supplier relationship.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPQM.2006.008370

International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management, 2006 Vol.1 No.1/2, pp.8 - 25

Published online: 12 Dec 2005 *

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