Textile and Apparel Industries

Exploring the Impact of Apparel Suppliers’ Affective and Cognitive Satisfaction on the Buyer-Supplier Relationship: A Power-Dependency Theory Perspective

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Abstract

Relationship building in the apparel industry is becoming more complicated than ever due to intense competition in the market. One way to compete is to build strong supply chain relationships. To this end, an in-depth understanding of the supplier perspective, and particularly supplier satisfaction with a buyer supplier relationship (BSR) is necessary. Existing studies have largely focused on satisfaction from the perspective of the buyer. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to investigate the affective and cognitive dimensions of satisfaction that impact the BSR from the supplier’s perspective, within the context of Power-Dependency Theory. In-depth interviews with 20 apparel suppliers in China revealed that both affective and cognitive dimensions of satisfaction impact the BSR. A model of supplier affective and cognitive satisfaction within the buyer-supplier relationship was developed to illustrate the connections between the two dimensions. Further study on relationship satisfaction from the supplier perspective is needed.

Keywords: Affective and cognitive satisfaction, Supplier satisfaction, Power-dependency theory, Supply chain management, Apparel sourcing, Buyer-supplier relationship

How to Cite:

Wu, H. J., Hodges, N. N. & Su, J., (2020) “Exploring the Impact of Apparel Suppliers’ Affective and Cognitive Satisfaction on the Buyer-Supplier Relationship: A Power-Dependency Theory Perspective”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 77(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.11858