Research

In our group (consisting of Prof. Finn Wynstra, dr. Erik van Raaij and Melek Akin M Sc), we focus our research on four themes:

1. Buyer-supplier collaboration in product development
2. Procurement of business services
3. Purchasing and supply management and firm performance
4. E-procurement and maverick buying

Under the first theme, Wynstra has recently published papers in Journal of Operations Management and Journal of Product Innovation Management, and continues to work with colleagues from University of Twente and Kellogg School of Management.

Under the second theme, Wynstra and Van der Valk have recently published papers in International Journal of Operations and Production Management and IMP Journal and a book chapter in Case Study Methodology in Business Research, by Dul and Hak (2008, Elsevier). We have organized and chaired special tracks at recent IMP and IPSERA conferences, and continue to work together with our colleagues from Stockholm School of Economics and Lancaster University in this area.

Under the third theme, we have collaborated with Philips Electronics to study the link between purchasing maturity and purchasing performance, and have recently set up an international survey together with renown universities and national purchasing associations from more than 10 different countries in Europe and North America ( www.ipsurvey.org). The new PhD project of Akin spans research themes 1 and 3.

Under the fourth theme, Van Raaij has recently published a paper on e-auctions in the Journal of Purchasing & Supply Management, and a paper on maverick buying has recently been published in the Journal of Business Ethics, and this line of research will be continued by Van Raaij with colleagues from Helsinki School of Economics.