The impact of supply chain relationship quality on quality performance

There is a considerable body of scholarly work focusing on the interaction between the various dimensions of supply chain (SC) relationships (such as trust, commitment, adaptation, communication and collaboration) but far less on the impact of SC relationships on performance. There has also been a considerable body of empirical research that has examined the impact of quality practices on quality performance. However, the effect of SC relationships on quality performance has received less attention. Accordingly, this paper considers (a) whether or not it is possible to measure the multi-dimensional nature of SC relationships and (b) if so, what is the effect of SC relationships on quality performance? To address these questions, we developed a conceptual framework incorporating dimensions of SC relationships and quality performance. The model was tested with data collected from 200 suppliers in the electronics sector in the Republic of Ireland. Our findings provide considerable support for our conceptual model. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.