Managing Buyer-Supplier Exchange Under Change: Supply Chain Projects, Initiation, and the Contingent Role of Fairness in Trust

: (Alternative Format Thesis)

Abstract

This thesis examines how established buyer-supplier exchanges are managed under change, focusing on the as-yet underexplored phenomenon of Supply Chain Projects (SCPs) – projects that effect change within established buyer-supplier relationships. While prior studies have addressed mechanisms such as trust repair, adaptation, and governance in new, emergent, or disrupted relationships, they have largely overlooked how change is organised, initiated, and sustained (or hindered) in established relationships. Across three studies, the thesis examines: (1) the vehicle through which change is organised and managed – SCPs; (2) the process through which change is initiated – SCP initiation; and (3) the conditions that sustain (or hinder) change – particularly, the contingent role of fairness in trust, moderated by dependence.

The first study (Chapter 3) conceptualises SCPs across their lifecycle phases as a hybrid phenomenon of project management (PM) and supply chain management (SCM), considering embeddedness as a boundary concept. This identifies key research gaps and proposes an agenda for SCP scholarship. The second study (Chapter 4) presents a multi-source case study of SCP between a major British automotive manufacturer and its principal long-term raw material supplier, revealing two distinct characteristics of SCP initiation: extended project initiation and partner persuasion, the latter of which includes the tactical use of third parties. The third study (Chapter 5) adopts a mixed-methods design, combining a field survey of supplier firms with a post-survey case study, to analyse how supplier dependence moderates the fairness-trust connection, identifying nuanced patterns in how buyer fairness affects supplier trust.

Together, these studies make important theoretical contributions to the emerging scholarship on SCPs and the broader literature on PM, SCM, trust, and fairness. The contributions include: (1) conceptualising SCPs as a distinct hybrid phenomenon of PM and SCM; (2) advancing understanding of SCP initiation within established buyer-supplier relationships; and (3) enhancing the theoretical precision of the fairness-trust connection in buyer-supplier relationships, which is further extended by expanding knowledge of the motivational components of trust and reinforcing the hybrid model of trust. The thesis also offers actionable guidance for initiating change in established buyer-supplier relationships, (re)building supplier trust through fairness, and managing highly dependent buyer-supplier relationships.

Date of Award	14 Jan 2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Jens Roehrich (Supervisor) & Michael Lewis (Supervisor)