A little help from my friends: how purchasing gains influence in complex business-to-business services: the case of legal

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to develop an understanding of how purchasing can become meaningfully involved in complex business-to-business service purchases.

Design/methodology/approach

A single in-depth case study method of an exemplar organization was applied to better understand the purchasing function’s role in adding to the value proposition in complex, non-traditional business-to-business service purchases.

Findings

Powerful allies or advocates can mediate purchasing involvement in service procurement. However, once the involvement is initiated, purchasing must make a positive contribution with respect to the specific needs and expectations of the budget owner to retain its influence.

Research limitations/implications

This research extends institutional theory to show how powerful allies or advocates can mediate purchasing involvement in the complex services spend.

Practical implications

This study describes the potential impact of purchasing’s involvement in complex services spend and highlights the opportunities for purchasing managers to improve supplier management and drive out additional costs.

Originality/value

For the business practitioner, this research provides evidence regarding how individual functions can gain influence in the organization. A conceptual model describes the meaningful involvement of purchasing in complex business-to-business service purchases.

Citation

Tate, W.L., Ellram, L.M. and Schmelzle, U. (2017), "A little help from my friends: how purchasing gains influence in complex business-to-business services: the case of legal", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 32 No. 2, pp. 206-217. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-01-2015-0006