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Research in business service purchasing: current status and directions for the future

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Abstract

This paper provides a systematic literature review and a future research agenda on the topic of purchasing of business services (BuSe). BuSe purchasing has increasingly gained in importance during the past years. It has established itself as a relevant sub-discipline in purchasing and supply management. This “state of research” paper identifies the main authors, relevant topics and practical implications as well as upcoming developments. For this purpose, 118 publications were collected and analyzed. While early research on BuSe purchasing was strongly influenced by the American marketing literature, more recent papers are also published by European authors and institutions coming from the core of the purchasing and supply management discipline. In general, the literature lacks in theoretical foundation and longitudinal methods while assuming high generalizability. Based on the analyses and additional discussions within the research team, directions for future research are identified at a political, economic, social and technological (PEST) level. The following trends for service purchasing were elaborated: (1) “Glocalisation” and near-shoring, (2) sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR), (3) internal and external collaboration, (4) value-driven contract and payment systems, (5) hybrid products and servitization, and (6) big data analytics, artificial intelligence and process automation.

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Notes

  1. Rapidminer is a data science platform which offers—among others—functions for data mining.

  2. In Rapidminer to process a text each phrase is broken up in its elements (words, symbols), which are called Tokens. This is operationalized in the program with the “Tokenize”-operator. For further information see Verma et al. (2014).

  3. Full list from 2011: http://vhbonline.org/vhb4you/jourqual/vhb-jourqual-archiv/vhb-jourqual-21-2011/jq21/.

  4. Full list from 2015: https://charteredabs.org/academic-journal-guide-2015-view/.

  5. VOSviewer is a free visualization-tool for bibliometric networks (www.vosviewer.com). For an exact explanation of the inner workings of the program consult Van Eck and Waltman (2010).

  6. 8 co-citations resulted in 18 articles, while 10 co-citation reduced the number of articles to 8.

  7. Only 85 articles out the 118 were available on Web of Science digitally and could therefore be included in the co-citation analysis in VosViewer.

  8. VUCA stand for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (van Tulder 2017, p. V).

  9. The triple bottom line aims to measure the financial, social, and environmental performance of a company over time.

  10. https://www.strategyand.pwc.com/report/procurement-4-digital-revolution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Supply Chain Management, University of St. Gallen, Dufourstrasse 40a, 9000, St. Gallen, Switzerland

    Erik Hofmann & Joël Henri Brunner

  2. Department of Engineering and Business Administration, South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences, Lindenstrasse 53, 59872, Meschede, Germany

    Elmar Holschbach

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  1. Erik Hofmann
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Appendix

Appendix

1.1 Appendix 1: Alphabetical list of the 118 papers in the corpus

Agndal, H., Axelsson, B., Lindberg, N., & Nordin, F. (2007). Trends in Service Sourcing Practices. Journal of Business Market Management, 1(3), 187–208.

Alexander, K. (1993). Sourcing the facilities service. Facilities, 11(5), 24.

Alexandersson, G.H., Staffan. (2007). High and Low Bids in Tenders: Strategic Pricing and Other Bidding Behaviour in Public Tenders of Passenger Railway Services. Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, 78(2), 161–194.

Ancarani, A., & Capaldo, G. (2005). Supporting decision-making process in facilities management services procurement: A methodological approach. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 11(5–6), 232–241.

Andersson, D., & Norrman, A. (2002). Procurement of logistics services—a minutes work or a multi-year project? European Journal of Purchasing & Supply Management, 8(1), 3–14.

Anthon, S.B., Peter; Thorsen, Bo Jellesmark. (2007). A Bureaucrat’s Procurement Strategy: Budget Constraints and Rationing. Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, 78(2), 221–244.

Bardsley, P.B., Ingrid. (2013). Auctioning Contracts for Environmental Services. Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 57(2), 253–272.

Barragan, S., Cappellino, C., Dempsey, N., & Rothenberg, S. (2003). A framework for sourcing product development services. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 8(3), 271–280.

Benjamin, O., Nisim, S., & Segev, G. (2014). Corporate Social Responsibility as Shaped by Managers’ Role Dissonance: Cleaning Services Procurement in Israel. Journal of Business Ethics, 130(1), 209–221.

Bienstock, C.C. (2002). Understanding buyer information acquisition for the purchase of logistics services. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 32(8), 636–648.

Bowman, D., & Lele-Pingle, S. (1997). Buyer behavior in business-to-business services: The case of foreign exchange. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 14(5), 499–508.

Bryntse, K. (1996). The purchasing of public services exploring the purchasing function in a service context. European Journal of Purchasing & Supply Management, 2(4), 193–201.

Caloghirou, Y., Protogerou, A., & Panagiotopoulos, P. (2016). Public procurement for innovation: A novel eGovernment services scheme in Greek local authorities. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 103, 1–10.

Caplice, C.S., Yossi. (2003). Optimization-Based Procurement for Transport Services. Journal of Business Logistics, 24(2), 109–128.

Cooper, M.B., Dröge, C., & Daugherty, P.J. (1991). How buyers and operations personnel evaluate service. Industrial Marketing Management, 20(1), 81–85.

Cox, A., Chicksand, D., Ireland, P., & Davies, T. (2005). Sourcing Indirect Spend: A Survey of Current Internal and External Strategies for Non-Revenue-Generating Goods and Services. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 41(2), 39–51.

Cox, A., Croom, S., Chicksand, D., & Yang, T. (2007). The proactive alignment of sourcing with marketing and branding strategies: a food service case. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 12(5), 321–333.

Daugherty, P.J.S., Theodore P.; Rogers, Dale S. (1996). Third-party logistics service providers: Purchasers’ perceptions. International Journal of Purchasing and Materials Management, 32(2), 23.

Day, E.B., Hiram C., Jr. (1994). Organizational purchasing of professional services: The process of selecting providers. The Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 9(3), 44.

de Boer, L.H., Elsebeth; Pop-Sitar, Corina. (2003). Purchasing as an organizational design problem: The case of non-product-related items and services. Management Decision, 41(9), 911–922.

De Toni, A.N., Guido; Tonchia, Stefano. (1994). Service dimensions in the buyer–supplier relationship: A case study. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 24(8), 4.

Degraeve, Z., Labro, E., & Roodhooft, F. (2004). Total cost of ownership purchasing of a service: The case of airline selection at Alcatel Bell. European Journal of Operational Research, 156(1), 23–40.

Dobrzykowski, D.D., Hong, P., Hong, P.C., & Soon Park, J. (2012). Building procurement capability for firm performance: a service‐dominant logic view. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 19(4/5), 567–584.

Doran, D., Thomas, P., & Caldwell, N. (2005). Examining buyer‐supplier relationships within a service sector context. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 10(4), 272–277.

Ellram, L., & Tate, W.L. (2015). Redefining supply management׳s contribution in services sourcing. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 21(1), 64–78.

Espino‐Rodríguez, T.F., Lai, P.C., & Baum, T. (2008). Asset specificity in make or buy decisions for service operations. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 19(1), 111–133.

Esteve-González, P. (2016). Moral hazard in repeated procurement of services. International Journal of Industrial Organization, 48, 244–269.

Evans, K.R.F., Howard D.; Foster, Jerry. (1990). Purchasing Motor Carrier Service: An Investigation of the Criteria Used by Small Manufacturing Firms. Journal of Small Business Management, 28(1), 39.

Everaert, P., Sarens, G., & Rommel, J. (2007). Sourcing strategy of Belgian SMEs: empirical evidence for the accounting services. Production Planning & Control, 18(8), 716–725.

Ferguson, W. (1983). Buying an industrial service warehouse space. Industrial Marketing Management, 12(1), 63–66.

Francis, W.H.Y., Joseph, H.K.L., & Yuen, P.L. (2012). Impacts of facility service procurement methods on perceived performance of hospital engineering services. Facilities, 30(1/2), 56–77.

Fredendall, L.D., Hopkins, C.D., & Bhonsle, A. (2005). Purchasing’s Internal Service Performance: Critical External and Internal Determinants. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 41(2), 26–38.

Fulconis, F., Nollet, J., & Paché, G. (2016). Purchasing of logistical services: a new view of LSPs’ proactive strategies. European Business Review, 28(4), 449–466.

Geisler, E.H., Wen. (1992). Purchasing Information Technologies: Behavior Patterns in Service Companies. International Journal of Purchasing and Materials Management, 28(3), 38–42.

Gelderman, C.J., Semeijn, J., & de Bruijn, A. (2015). Dynamics of service definitions—An explorative case study of the purchasing process of professional ICT-services. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 21(3), 220–227.

Gibson, B.J.M., R. A.; Sink, H. L. (1995). Supplier certification—Application to the purchase of industrial transportation services. Logistics and Transportation Review, 31(1), 63–74.

Gligor, D.M., & Holcomb, M. (2013). The role of personal relationships in supply chains. The International Journal of Logistics Management, 24(3), 328–355.

Gomes, M., Fernandes, T., & Brandão, A. (2016). Determinants of brand relevance in a B2B service purchasing context. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 31(2), 193–204.

Grudinschi, D., Sintonen, S., & Hallikas, J. (2014). Relationship risk perception and determinants of the collaboration fluency of buyer–supplier relationships in public service procurement. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 20(2), 82–91.

Guercini, S.R., Silvia. (2015). Buyer–seller interaction in facility services. Journal of Service Theory and Practice, 25(2), 162–180.

Hallikas, J., Immonen, M., Pynnönen, M., & Mikkonen, K. (2014). Service purchasing and value creation: Towards systemic purchases. International Journal of Production Economics, 147, 53–61.

Hansson, L.H., Johan. (2011). Bypassing Public Procurement Regulation: A Study of Rationality in Local Decisionmaking. Regulation and Governance, 5(3), 368–385.

Hawkins, T.G., Gravier, M.J., Berkowitz, D., & Muir, W.A. (2015). Improving services supply management in the defense sector: How the procurement process affects B2B service quality. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 21(2), 81–94.

Holmlund, M., & Kock, S. (1995). Buyer perceived service quality in industrial networks. Industrial Marketing Management, 24(2), 109–121.

Holmlund, M., Kowalkowski, C., & Biggemann, S. (2016). Organizational behavior in innovation, marketing, and purchasing in business service contexts—An agenda for academic inquiry. Journal of Business Research, 69(7), 2457–2462.

Holschbach, E., & Hofmann, E. (2011). Exploring quality management for business services from a buyer’s perspective using multiple case study evidence. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 31(6), 648–685.

Holter, A.R., Halldórsson, Á., Grant, D.B., Ritchie, J., & Shaw, N. (2008). A framework for purchasing transport services in small and medium size enterprises. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 38(1), 21–38.

Immonen, M., Hallikas, J., & Pynnönen, M. (2016). Antecedents of system purchasing in B2B services. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 22(3), 205–213.

Jackson, R.W., Neidell, L.A., & Lunsford, D.A. (1995). An empirical investigation of the differences in goods and services as perceived by organizational buyers. Industrial Marketing Management, 24(2), 99–108.

Jamalzadeh, R., Ardehali, M.M., & Rashidinejad, M. (2008). Development of modified rational buyer auction for procurement of ancillary services utilizing participation matrix. Energy Policy, 36(2), 900–909.

Jensen, P.D.Ø., & Petersen, B. (2013). Global Sourcing of Services: Risk, Process, and Collaborative Architecture. Global Strategy Journal, 3(1), 67–87.

Johnston, W.J., & Bonama, T.V. (1981). Purchase process for capital equipment and services. Industrial Marketing Management, 10(4), 253–264.

Jones, E., Busch, P., & Dacin, P. (2003). Firm market orientation and salesperson customer orientation: interpersonal and intrapersonal influences on customer service and retention in business-to-business buyer–seller relationships. Journal of Business Research, 56(4), 323–340.

Jothi Basu, R., Bai, R., & Palaniappan, P.K. (2015). A strategic approach to improve sustainability in transportation service procurement. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 74, 152–168.

Kadefors, A., Björlingson, E., & Karlsson, A. (2007). Procuring service innovations: Contractor selection for partnering projects. International Journal of Project Management, 25(4), 375–385.

Kotabe, M., & Murray, J.Y. (2004). Global procurement of service activities by service firms. International Marketing Review, 21(6), 615–633.

Kotabe, M.M., Janet Y.; Javalgi, Rajshekhar G. (1998). Global sourcing of services and market performance: An empirical investigation. Journal of International Marketing, 6(4), 10–31.

Large, R.O., & König, T. (2009). A gap model of purchasing’s internal service quality: Concept, case study and internal survey. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 15(1), 24–32.

Large, R.O., Kramer, N., & Hartmann, R.K. (2013). Procurement of logistics services and sustainable development in Europe: Fields of activity and empirical results. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 19(3), 122–133.

Lee, Y.-W., & Bellman, S. (2008). An Augmented Model of Customer Loyalty for Organizational Purchasing of Financial Services. Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing, 15(3), 290–322.

Leek, S., Turnbull, P.W., & Naudé, P. (2004). A comparison of manufacturers and financial services suppliers’ and buyers’ use of relationship management methods. Industrial Marketing Management, 33(3), 241–249.

Lian, P.C., & Laing, A.W. (2004). The role of professional expertise in the purchasing of health services. Health Services Management Research, 17(2), 110–120.

Lian, P.C.S., & Laing, A.W. (2004). Public sector purchasing of health services: A comparison with private sector purchasing. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 10(6), 247–256.

Lian, P.C.S., & Laing, A.W. (2007). Relationships in the purchasing of business to business professional services: The role of personal relationships. Industrial Marketing Management, 36(6), 709–718.

Lindberg, N., & Nordin, F. (2008). From products to services and back again: Towards a new service procurement logic. Industrial Marketing Management, 37(3), 292–300.

Martin, J.H., Daley, J.M., & Burdg, H.B. (1988). Buying influences and perceptions of transportation services. Industrial Marketing Management, 17(4), 305–314.

Mawson, E., & Fearne, A. (1996). Purchasing strategies and decision-making processes in the food service industry: a case study of UK restaurant chains. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 1(3), 34–41.

Merkert, R., & O’Fee, B. (2013). Efficient procurement of public air services—Lessons learned from European transport authorities’ perspectives. Transport Policy, 29, 118–125.

Mitchell, V.W., Moutinho, L., & Lewis, B.R. (2003). Risk Reduction in Purchasing Organisational Professional Services. The Service Industries Journal, 23(5), 1–19.

Money, R.B. (2000). Word-of-mouth referral sources for buyers of international corporate financial services. Journal of World Business, 35(3), 314–329.

Money, R.B., Gilly, M.C., & Graham, J.L. (1998). Explorations of National Culture and Word-of-Mouth Referral Behavior in the Purchase of Industrial Services in the United States and Japan. Journal of Marketing, 62(4), 76.

Murray, J.Y., & Kotabe, M. (1999). Sourcing strategies of U.S. service companies: a modified transaction–cost analysis. Strategic Management Journal, 20(9), 791–809.

Murray, J.Y.K., M.; Westjohn, S. A. (2009). Global Sourcing Strategy and Performance of Knowledge-Intensive Business Services: A Two-Stage Strategic Fit Model. Journal of International Marketing, 17(4), 90–105.

Nayyar, P.R. (1990). Information asymmetries: A source of competitive advantage for diversified service firms. Strategic Management Journal, 11(7), 513–519.

Newton, D.A. (1965). Advertising agency services: make or buy? Harvard Business Review, 43(4), 111–118.

Nordin, F. (2008). Linkages between service sourcing decisions and competitive advantage: A review, propositions, and illustrating cases. International Journal of Production Economics, 114(1), 40–55.

Pardos, E., Gómez-Loscos, A., & Rubiera-Morollón, F. (2007). ‘Do versus Buy’ Decisions in the Demand for Knowledge Intensive Business Services. The Service Industries Journal, 27(3), 233–249.

Pemer, F., Sieweke, J., Werr, A., Birkner, S., & Mohe, M. (2014). The cultural embeddedness of professional service purchasing—A comparative study of German and Swedish companies. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 20(4), 273–285.

Pemer, F., Werr, A., & Bianchi, M. (2014). Purchasing professional services: A transaction cost view of the antecedents and consequences of purchasing formalization. Industrial Marketing Management, 43(5), 840–849.

Perreault, W.D., & Russ, F.A. (1976). Physical Distribution Service in Industrial Purchase Decisions. Journal of Marketing, 40(2), 3.

Perrone, G., Roma, P., & Lo Nigro, G. (2010). Designing multi-attribute auctions for engineering services procurement in new product development in the automotive context. International Journal of Production Economics, 124(1), 20–31.

Radkevitch, U., van Heck, E., & Koppius, O. (2009). Portfolios of buyer–supplier exchange relationships in an online marketplace for IT services. Decision Support Systems, 47(4), 297–306.

Roth, M.S., Money, R.B., & Madden, T.J. (2004). Purchasing processes and characteristics of industrial service buyers in the U.S. and Japan. Journal of World Business, 39(2), 183–198.

Saleh, F.A., & Sarkar, A.K. (1973). Marketing of professional services: An analysis of the buyer selection systems. Industrial Marketing Management, 3(1), 15–23.

Schiele, J.J. (2005). Meaningful involvement of municipal purchasing departments in the procurement of consulting services: Case studies from Ontario, Canada. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 11(1), 14–27.

Schiele, J.J.M., Clifford P. (2006). Professional service acquisition in public sector procurement: A conceptual model of meaningful involvement. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 26(3/4), 300–325.

Schlesinger, M., Dorwart, R.A., & Pulice, R.T. (1986). Competitive bidding and states’ purchase of services: the case of mental health care in Massachusetts. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 5(2), 245–263.

Selviaridis, K., Agndal, H., & Axelsson, B. (2011). Business services ‘in the making’: (De)Stabilisation of service definitions during the sourcing process. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 17(2), 73–86.

Sharma, D.D. (1994). Classifying buyers to gain marketing insight: A relationships approach to professional services. International Business Review, 3(1), 15–30.

Sheffi, Y. (2004). Combinatorial Auctions in the Procurement of Transportation Services. Interfaces, 34(4), 245–252.

Smeltzer, L.R.O., Jeffrey A. (2002). Purchasing professionals’ perceived differences between purchasing materials and purchasing services. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 38(1), 54–70.

Sonmez, M., & Moorhouse, A. (2010). Purchasing professional services: which decision criteria? Management Decision, 48(2), 189–206.

Stanley, L.L., & Wisner, J.D. (2001). Service quality along the supply chain: implications for purchasing. Journal of Operations Management, 19(3), 287–306.

Stanley, L.L., & Wisner, J.D. (2002). The determinants of service quality: issues for purchasing. European Journal of Purchasing & Supply Management, 8(2), 97–109.

Stock, J.R., & Zinszer, P.H. (1987). The industrial purchase decision for professional services. Journal of Business Research, 15(1), 1–16.

Stremersch, S., Wuyts, S., & Frambach, R.T. (2001). The Purchasing of Full-Service Contracts. Industrial Marketing Management, 30(1), 1–12.

Tate, W.L., Ellram, L.M., Bals, L., Hartmann, E., & van der Valk, W. (2010). An Agency Theory perspective on the purchase of marketing services. Industrial Marketing Management, 39(5), 806–819.

Turnbull, P.W. (1982). The Purchasing of International Financial Services by Medium‐ and Large‐Sized UK Companies with European Subsidiaries. European Journal of Marketing, 16(3), 111–121.

van der Valk, W. (2008). Service procurement in manufacturing companies: Results of three embedded case studies. Industrial Marketing Management, 37(3), 301–315.

van der Valk, W., & Rozemeijer, F. (2009). Buying business services: towards a structured service purchasing process. Journal of Services Marketing, 23(1), 3–10.

van der Valk, W., & van Iwaarden, J. (2011). Monitoring in service triads consisting of buyers, subcontractors and end customers. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 17(3), 198–206.

van der Valk, W., & Wynstra, F. (2012). Buyer–supplier interaction in business-to-business services: A typology test using case research. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 18(3), 137–147.

van der Valk, W., & Wynstra, F. (2014). Variety in business-to-business services and buyer–supplier interaction. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 34(2), 195–220.

van der Valk, W., Wynstra, F., & Axelsson, B. (2009). Effective buyer‐supplier interaction patterns in ongoing service exchange. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 29(8), 807–833.

van Hoek, R.I. (2000). The purchasing and control of supplementary third-party logistics services. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 36(4), 14–26.

van Mossel, H.-J., & van der Valk, W. (2008). Securing customer satisfaction through component service specifications. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 14(4), 241–252.

Werr, A., & Pemer, F. (2007). Purchasing management consulting services—From management autonomy to purchasing involvement. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 13(2), 98–112.

West, D.C. (1997). Purchasing professional services: The case of advertising agencies. International Journal of Purchasing and Materials Management, 33(3), 2–9.

Wittreich, W.J. (1966). How to buy/sell professional services. Harvard Business Review, 44(2), 127–138.

Wolf, C., Halldórsson, Á., & Seuring, S. (2010). Environmental impacts as buying criteria for third party logistical services. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 40(1/2), 84–102.

Woodside, A.G., Wilson, E.J., & Milner, P. (1992). Buying and marketing CPA services. Industrial Marketing Management, 21(3), 265–272.

Wynstra, F., Axelsson, B., & van der Valk, W. (2006). An application‐based classification to understand buyer‐supplier interaction in business services. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 17(5), 474–496.

Yang, Z.B., Volodymyr. (2015). Does a Procurement Service Provider Generate Value for the Buyer through Information about Supply Risks? Management Science, 61(5), 979–998.

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Zhang, B., Ding, H., Li, H., Wang, W., & Yao, T. (2013). A Sampling-Based Stochastic Winner Determination Model for Truckload Service Procurement. Networks and Spatial Economics, 14(2), 159–181.

Zimmermann, S., Müller, M., & Heinrich, B. (2016). Exposing and selling the use of web services—an option to be considered in make-or-buy decision-making. Decision Support Systems, 89, 28–40.

Zinszer, P.H. (1997). Segmenting logistical service offerings using the extended buygrid model. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 27(9/10), 588–599.

1.2 Appendix 2: Extended list of most co-cited literature in the corpus

Publication

Cluster [*]

Contribution to the business service purchasing literature

Axelsson and Wynstra (2002)

1

Comprehensive book that defines the characteristics of various services in the context of organizational networks and the purchasing function

Eisenhardt (1989)

1

Academic article, which assesses the agency theory and how it can be used for organizational researchers to explain processes like a make-or-buy decision

Ellram et al. (2008)

1

Academic article, which applies a transaction cost theory (specifically transaction cost economics) framework for understanding the costs and risks of companies in the process of outsourcing professional services. References the works of Williamson (1975)

van der Valk and Rozemeijer (2009)

1

The article develops an eight-step process for the purchasing of business services and includes points from the service-dominant logic of Vargo and Lusch (2004). The process is an extension of the purchasing process by Van Weele (2005)

Voss et al. (2002)

1

Article on how and when to use case study research in the context of operations management, which references Eisenhardt (1989). The primary aim is to develop and test new theories

Wynstra et al. (2006)

1

Conceptual paper that establishes a classification of business services from the viewpoint of the buying company. The emphasis lies on the interaction process between buyers and suppliers after purchasing. Expands on the work of Jackson et al. (1995)

Ellram et al. (2004)

2

Article highlights the relevance of service purchasing for a company, with the intent of developing a supply chain framework fitting for services. Assesses and combines the manufacturing models of the Global Supply Chain Forum Framework, SCOR and HewlettPackard’s Supply Chain Management Model

Fitzsimmons et al. (1998b)

2

Article develops a taxonomy for business service purchasing with two dimensions (importance of service and focus of the service). For each of the six resulting classifications implications for managers are explored. Expands with a focus on the business process the works of Lovelock (1983)

Håkansson (1982)

2

Book that proposes that the purchasing function is essentially the management of buyer–seller relationships. Combines Interorganizational theory and the New Institutional Economic theory to an interaction model

Jackson et al. (1995)

2

Empirical article, which collects the different challenges an organizational buyer in the marketing of goods and services faces. The differences are described on six latent dimensions. Agrees with Lovelock (1983) and puts certain findings of Parasuraman et al. (1985) in question

Lovelock (1983)

2

Conceptual article that develops five interlinked classifications schemes for the marketing of services. The goal was to help managers better understand their business and to transcend the narrow industry thinking

Mitchell (1994)

2

Article that develops an eight-step decision process for the purchasing of consultancy services. The focus is to highlight the difficulties and risks associated with the management of consultancy services

Parasuraman et al. (1985)

2

Exploratory article that develops the SERVQUAL-model to measure the quality of consumer services

Smeltzer and Ogden (2002)

2

Empirical article that explores the exact differences between services and goods on 15 process steps based on the purchasing of goods. There is a call for more research in the area of business services from the buyer’s perspective. Picks up points both from Lovelock (1983) and Mitchell (1994)

West (1997)

2

This article focuses on the purchasing of advertising services from the provider perspective and names intangibility as the biggest challenge. Advocates for a strong purchasing position

Cox (1996)

Added [**]

Article tries to provide a theoretical clarification of the optimal role for procurement within business management based on the transaction theory of Williamson (1975). Argues that a strategic approach to procurement has to be adopted for successful firms

Williamson (1975)

Added [**]

Proposes transactions as the basic unit of analysis for understanding firms and markets. Joins economics, organizational theory and aspect of contract law. Firms become through this view a nexus of contracts

Grönroos (2000)

Added [**]

General marketing book, which establishes that services exchanges are interactive processes, where both the seller and the buyer parties are involved in production and consumption of the product

  1. [*] Clustered according to co-citation analysis in VosViewer
  2. [**] Added through an author co-citation analysis

1.3 Appendix 3: Short explanation of theories with at least two related publications

Theory

Mentions

Use in context of business service purchasing

Transaction cost theory

11

The service purchasing firm and the seller have an inter-organizational relationship, which is based “on opportunism and bounded rationality”. The core goal for both parties in this exchange is to minimize costs (Rossignoli and Ricciardi 2015, p. 7). Based on the writings of Williamson (1975)

Agency theory

5

The service purchasing firm and the seller have an inter-organizational relationship, which is based “on opportunism and bounded rationality”. The core goal for both parties in this exchange is align the “behaviors or outcomes of the other parties to expectations” (Rossignoli and Ricciardi 2015, p. 7). Based on the writings of Eisenhardt (1989)

Auction theory

5

In the auction process of a service buying firm a game theory optimization approach is taken. The buyer firm optimizes the total expenditures in this process (Sheffi 2004, p. 247). First applied by Vickrey (1961)

Service marketing theory

4

Fuzzy theory that concerns itself with understanding the “generic features of the professional service” to lay the groundwork for an optimal marketing process (Gummesson 1978). Authors to consider are Grönroos (1982), Gummesson (1978) and Chase and Erikson (1988). Today closely linked to the service-dominant logic of Vargo and Lusch (2004)

Organizational buying theory

4

Theory that sees the B2B purchasing as a “decision-making process carried out by individuals, in interaction with other people, in the context of a formal organization” (Webster Jr. and Wind 1972, p. 12). Started with the writings of Webster Jr. and Wind (1972), which today encompasses a myriad of topics like word of mouth effects e.g. West (1997)

Contingency theory

2

Theory states that there is no one-size-fits all for service procurement organizations, and companies have to align their strategy with the specific environment (Murray et al. 2009, p. 93). Originally from the leadership literature from Fiedler (1964)

Contract theory

2

High-level theory, which is mainly concerned with the contract and the main interest are incentives for the parties involved. Incorporates “moral hazard problem”-aspects and is closely related to the transaction theory and agent theory (Esteve-González 2016, p. 247)

Qualification theory

2

Theory that rejects the notion that exchanged services can have a “stable” definition. Services have a temporally constellation of characteristics to allow trading (Selviaridis et al. 2011, p. 75). Manly proposed in the service purchasing context by Selviaridis et al. (2011) based on the writings of Gadrey (2000)

Social exchange theory

2

Theory used to understand the behavior of sales persons, which “reciprocate or imitate” the conduct of the buyer. This is based on the writings of Adams (1965) with the basic idea that “individuals engage in reciprocal behaviors and support those who provide benefits” (Jones et al. 2003, p. 326)

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Hofmann, E., Brunner, J.H. & Holschbach, E. Research in business service purchasing: current status and directions for the future. Manag Rev Q 70, 421–460 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-019-00172-7

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