Bin Wang

Citation

Thesis Title
The Role of Interpersonal Relationship in Supply Chain Integration

Supply chain integration can significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of companies and their supply chains. Mr Wang explored the role of interpersonal relationships in supply chain integration. He proposed and investigated a conceptual model addressing the role of interpersonal relationships on supply chain integration through inter-organisational relationships. His findings revealed that personal affection acts as a relationship initiator, and personal credibility serves as a gatekeeper, while personal communication works as a facilitator and plays a more important role than personal affection and credibility. In the formative stage of supply chain integration, personal affection and credibility play key roles, whereas personal communication becomes more significant during the operational stage. Mr Wang's research has advanced supply chain integration literature by extending the focus from that of firm level to individuals' level, and provided insights for practitioners to use 'soft' interpersonal resources if they have limited 'hard' firm level resources.

Supervisors
Professor Paul Childerhouse
Associate Professor Yuanfei Kang