The Effects of Resource Uncertainty on Customer-Supplier Relationships in Turkey

Abstract

Purpose The aim of this study is to examine the effects of resource uncertainty on the customer decision process on customer-supplier relationships in Turkish industries. Another aim of this study is to determine the variance between the characteristics of organizations and resource uncertainty components. Design/methodology/approach The necessary data has been collected from 134 companies in Marmara Region through a questionnaire. The study adopts factor, correlation and regression analyses to test impact of resource uncertainty on relational exchange. Findings Data analysis reveals that resource concentration and resource availability uncertainty do not have an impact on customer decision to determine relational exchange norm with supplier while resource interconnectedness has influence. Further, One-way Anova analysis demonstrates that resource concentration, resource availability uncertainty and resource interconnectedness do not significantly vary with control variables in industry, foundation, annual sales and number of employees. Research limitations/implications Data could have been collected from only 134 companies in various industries in Marmara Region, Turkey. Further studies could collect more data from other regions in Turkey, and/or focus on a specific industry. Practical implications This study shows that networking among Turkish companies increases resource interconnectedness in RDT that lowers competition in the acquisition of supply, and therefore, provides secure flow of resources to the customer. Thus, customers and suppliers should maintain and further network relationships among them. Originality/value Resource dependence is not a big matter for Turkish companies in doing business.