a b s t r a c tThe literature on supply chain management (SCM) has consistently promoted the "bright side" of collaborative buyer-supplier relationships (BSRs). Based on the social capital argument, SCM scholars have investigated how a buyer can gain access to and leverage resources through its collaborative BSRs. Our study extends this research stream by considering the "dark side" of social capital in BSRs. It evaluates how social capital in its cognitive, relational, and structural forms contributes to or impedes value creation within BSRs. Both primary survey measures and secondary objective measures have been used in data analysis. The results show the presence of both the bright side, confirming the existing literature, and the dark side, extending the literature. There is an inverted curvilinear relationship between social capital and performance: Either too little or too much social capital can hurt performance. This study confirms that building social capital in a collaborative BSR positively affects buyer performance, but that if taken to an extreme it can reduce the buyer's ability to be objective and make effective decisions as well as increase the supplier's opportunistic behavior. Our study also examines how a buyer can delay the emergence of the dark side. It opens up new research avenues in the collaborative BSR context and suggests directions for future research and practice.

DESIR EE KNOPPEN EADA Business SchoolCompanies increasingly depend upon the knowledge of supply chain partners to deliver superior value to customers with ever shifting preferences. This transference requires absorptive capacity (AC), which allows an organization to identify external knowledge and convert it into value for the firm. Based on an approach of dynamic capabilities, AC encompasses three related learning processes: exploration, assimilation, and exploitation. Within the particular context of buyer-supplier relationships (BSR), the aim of this research is to examine AC, one of its most relevant antecedentsorganizational compatibilityand its outcomes. Two samples of 153 and 199 companies, operating as key suppliers of two focal buyers, a European multinational retail chain and an American multinational spare parts distributor, respectively, constitute the empirical base of the study. Results derived from structural equation modeling and, more precisely, multi-group confirmatory factor analysis and a formal test of mediation, strongly indicate for both samples that AC mediates between organizational compatibility on the one hand and innovation and efficiency performance on the other hand. Results also indicate that the mediating effect of AC related to innovation increases with demand uncertainty. This paper thus suggests that managers must be aware that the selection of supply chain partners based on their compatibility alone is not enough. AC is necessary to achieve sustainable performance improvement.

Purpose -There has been little research that includes reliable deductions about the positive influence of learning capability on business performance. For this reason, the main objective of the present study is to empirically explore the link between learning capability in organizations and business performance evaluated in both financial and non-financial terms. Design/methodology/approach -Using data from 111 Spanish companies, research was conducted through a structural equation modelling. In doing so, a measurement model was conducted for the main constructs -learning capability, financial performance and non-financial performance-and examine the paths between them. Findings -The analysis shows the positive link existing between: learning capability and non-financial performance; and non-financial performance and financial performance. Originality/value -This is a detailed empirical examination of learning capability as a source of performance in organizations. It should be of value to all those who think about the role of learning processes and knowledge in organizations, and who care about their effects on competitiveness.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a taxonomy of how companies implement Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) in terms of two fundamental approaches: the first emerging from internal actions and operations within companies, and the other involving inter-organizational actions undertaken with external supply chain partners. This taxonomy aims to predict firms’ performance with regard to the frequency of supply chain disruption. Design/methodology/approach A cluster analysis of survey data from 908 firms representing 69 countries together with an analysis of variance. Findings The authors’ analysis demonstrates a clear structure of four different patterns of how companies manage supply chain risks: passive, internal, collaborative, and integral. The authors found that firms pursuing an inter-organizational orientation (collaborative and integral) face the lowest levels of supply chain disruption. On the contrary, strategies which simply concentrate on having greater control of internal operations are not vigorous enough to stop the cascade effect of a disruption at the supply chain level. Furthermore, the excellent performance of integral SCRM strategies also suggests that collaboration between buyers and suppliers ensures the efficacy of internal business continuity plans and security procedures. Practical implications Managers should play an active role in making sure that supply chain management and risk management disciplines evolve together. Obviously, when an exogenous event results in a supply chain disruption, a firm will try to put its operations under control through internal capabilities. But SCRM strategies designed proactively in advance with relevant partners are even more beneficial. Originality/value First, previous studies have limited the analysis of SCRM mainly to its reactive internal initiatives within a firm. This paper takes the SCRM literature beyond the internal focus by considering both internal and inter-organizational efforts and, more importantly, developing a single configurational model to analyze modes of interaction. Second, there is little empirical evidence showing the current situation of SCRM. Research in SCRM has been more qualitative than empirical, especially in global coverage. The research tackles this gap and, based on a broader scope of the samples the empirical findings show a higher level of generalizability.

This study conducts an investigation of interorganizational trust and its positive and negative effects. We consider how positive and negative effects operate differently under two types of uncertainties—buyer dependence and market instability. Trust is studied in the buyer–supplier relationship (BSR) context from the buyer’s perspective. The analysis is conducted based on survey data and secondary archival data from a sample of 133 BSRs. Results show that trust follows an inverted-U shape with performance. There is a point at which the negative effects of trust offset its benefits, and beyond that point, performance declines. The results also suggest that the positive and negative effects of trust become more pronounced when buyers are highly dependent on suppliers or when environmental uncertainty surrounding buyers is low. Trust’s negative effects are more severe for those buyers that are highly dependent and operate in stable markets.