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This paper introduces the special topic forum (STF) on purchasing and innovation. Presenting the findings from a systematic literature review, we take stock of the current state of the field, delineating themes, theories and methods, and identifying key trends over time. Our study shows a take-off in research on purchasing and innovation during the last decade. This has predominantly focused on private sector manufacturing firms although a recent expansion into public sector research is evident. Large-scale surveys and case studies are still the dominant research methods where the unit of analysis is typically the ‘firm’ or ‘project’. The findings also show how in the past the field was driven by questions on how purchasing can facilitate different types of innovation projects, seeking to derive practical implications, and rarely making explicit statements regarding theories applied; this still characterises much of the research but we find an increasing focus on theory development. We also see a shift in the type of technological innovation being investigated: past studies tended to focus on the role of purchasing in new product development (NPD) projects, which reflected a relatively low degree of technological uncertainty, but we see a trend towards innovation projects facing technological uncertainty. Research shows how this requires new ways of sourcing innovations and therefore new ways for purchasing to facilitate innovation sourcing. On the basis of the review, we offer our guidance for future research avenues to 1) carry out more research on procurement of innovation in the public sector; 2) consider new theories and research methods, and 3) go beyond firm-level or dyadic analysis to research networks and ecosystems. We conclude by introducing the papers in the STF.

Stange, R., Schiele, H., & Henseler, J. (2022). Advancing purchasing as a design science: Publication guidelines to shift towards more relevant purchasing research. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 28(1), 1-12. [100750]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pursup.2022.100750 Due to rapidly changing business environments, purchasing and supply management (PSM) organisations are constantly confronted with new problems impacting organisational performance. PSM research can address these problems through design science research. Design science is also regarded as the science of the artificial. Design science research is a methodology that aims to systematically generate knowledge for the design, synthesis, testing, and evaluation of human-made artefacts (e.g., tools, interventions, policies) that solve practical problems. PSM artefacts such as the purchasing portfolio matrix invented by Kraljic (1983) represent a valuable opportunity to solve problems in the PSM discipline. However, our artificial-intelligence (AI)-based analysis of the discipline's flagship journal, the Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management (JPSM), indicates that design-oriented publications in PSM are underrepresented, accounting for less than 4% of the total publications. We argue that existing PSM research should be complemented with more design-oriented research, and address the following research question: How can PSM scholars publish more design-oriented research? Our objectives are to (1) provide arguments for advancing PSM as a design science, (2) nurture a better understanding of design science research as a methodology, and (3) propose publication guidelines that enable researchers to present design-oriented research in a management journal. publishersversion published

Purchasing and supply management (PSM) is evolving due to the introduction of new technologies. To benefit from purchasing activities and technology advancement, purchasing professionals need specific skills (Bals et al., 2019). Therefore, current study programs need to be adjusted, and educational methods need to be found (Pekkanen et al., 2020). One example of these educational methods are serious games as the beer distribution game within the Supply Chain Management (SCM) context (Forrester, 1961). However, available games are not focused on purchasing. Thus, an online purchasing game has been developed, focusing on cost-reduction techniques and supplier relationship management. Within the game, students are in charge of managing anorganisation’s purchasing department, developing in the process of the game from an operative buyer towards a chief purchasing officer. Since this game is a substitute to existing traditional lectures, the usefulness of this game was tested based on a group comparison experiment. Here, the group following the existing traditional lectures (N=66) was compared to the group of students learning within the serious game lectures (N=105). For data collection, self-rated surveys, pre-and post-survey, and the exam scores have been analysed. Based on the experimental methodology applied, it has been found that students who played the game score significantly higher in the exam. Further, the design of the game was evaluated based on various criteria, e.g., competitive and collaborative elements, game design, and understandability. It has been shown that serious games are useful to deepen understanding of purchasing and develop purchasing skills.

New technologies and systems within the field of purchasing and supply management (PSM) call forth responsibilities and require expertise. Moving towards Industry 4.0 in purchasing, increasing attention on specialization within talent and skills, where human capital is needed to exploit the full potential of technologies. Based on an internet-based real-time Delhi study with 47 experts within the PSM field, six future purchasing roles have been defined and elaborated. These future roles connect to the maturing and emerging technologies within the purchasing field and provide a guideline to further develop towards Industry 4.0 in purchasing based on a human-centered evolutionary approach.

To increase maturity within purchasing and supply management (PSM), future purchasing skills are needed based on the technological development towards Industry 4.0. Past research, e.g., the work of Bals, Schulze, Kelly, and Stek (2019), started to address this issue based on literature review and interview studies. However, a detailed description of these skills is missing. Utilizing a real-time Delhi study with 45 experts within the PSM field, nine future purchasing skills have been elaborated. Identified skills connect to the maturing and emerging technologies within purchasing and provide a guideline towards Industry 4.0 in purchasing based on a human-centric perspective.

Nowadays, the human-centric discipline of purchasing and supply management (PSM) is of strategic importance for firms’ success. Within the discipline, scholars address PSM professionals’ skills and provide practitioners with academic insights. Due to changes in the industry environment, changes in the working environment and the task of purchasing professionals are assumed. This paper aims to contribute to the PSM professional skills literature by defining current PSM professionals’ skill gaps as the difference between the acquired skill level and perceived skill importance. Findings show that current PSM professionals feel to be underqualified to abstract the full potential of professional relationships, as buyer-supplier relationships, due to current PSM professionals’ skill gaps.

Global development is powering ahead toward Industry 4.0, the coming Fourth Industrial Revolution. Cyber-physical systems connect the physical and digital world, making demand identification possible without the need for direct human intervention. Moreover, Artificial Intelligence is actively supporting various aspects of operational and strategic purchasing. The new purchasing environment is compelling purchasing professionals to learn new skills. Research is presently needed to identify appropriate skill sets. Based on a World Café of 82 purchasing professionals, this study compiles a list of 32 essential future skills in purchasing. Furthermore, the skills identified are ranked and assigned to the role of either direct material purchaser or indirect material purchaser.

When startups want to buy from large suppliers, they may find it challenging to establish a business relationship. As startups are new, small, have limited resources and scarce track record, they could be perceived as not attractive to start the relationship with large suppliers. Startups could benefit from understanding the challenges and opportunities from a customer attractiveness perspective. Therefore, we offer a systematic literature review and develop a framework for what makes a startup an attractive buyer from large suppliers.

the working paper shows the results of a study into public procurement skills by means of a World Café method

Most companies have realized the high importance of becoming the preferred customers of their suppliers. However, they cannot evaluate their own customer attractiveness properly. In order to make the assessment of the own customer status possible, this paper analyzes the impact of several information sources on the preferred customer status knowledge, supplier satisfaction knowledge and knowledge of alternative supplier relationships with other customers. Testing these hypotheses on a sample of 624 purchasers, we show that people provide more relevant information than media. In particular, the suppliers, competitors and other actors are very important information sources.

Purchasing function can aim to satisfy suppliers to obtain a preferred customer status with important suppliers to receive a preferential treatment. This research examines whether cultural compatibility, operational compatibility and resource complementarity of buyer and supplier do influence the supplier’s perception of the buyer and lead to a preferred customer status. A differentiation between direct and indirect procurement is made. The results show that cultural compatibility is an important influencing factor for achieving supplier satisfaction. Operational compatibility has shown an effect on preferred customer status in the context of indirect procurement, whereas resource complementarity has an effect for direct procurement.

The increasing importance of preferred customer status and supplier satisfaction unveils new opportunities to gain competitive advantages as buying firm. Relational behaviour plays a major role to have satisfied suppliers. The goal of this quantitative research paper is to identify the interaction effect of a suppliers’ corporate culture and relational behaviour on supplier satisfaction through polynomial regression. Results show that intensifying the relationship with suppliers, that have a high focus on stability and control and that are not highly flexible, has the most potential to improve supplier satisfaction through relational behaviour.

Buying firms lack transparency about supplier relationships in their networks. The application of Supply Network Mapping can help to analyze these relationships. However, the impact of SNM on the purchasing performance has not been explored yet. Moreover, companies with different competitive strategies might use it differently. Therefore, this paper tests the impact of SNM on the purchasing performance. A multi-group analysis compares when cost and innovation leaders use it. We show that information quality and SNM improve the purchasing performance. Moreover, cost leaders use SNM for supplier relationships with sub-suppliers, while innovation leaders use it for relationships with other customers.