a b s t r a c tThis paper theoretically refines and empirically extends the debate on the type of interplay between relational experience and contractual governance in an under-researched area: supply chain disputes. We define relational experience as either cooperative or competitive; distinguish between control and coordination functions of contractual governance; and assess their interplay on the negotiation strategy used in disputes. Using a unique data set of buyer-supplier disputes, we find, in particular that increasing contractual control governance weakens the positive effect of cooperative relational experience on cooperative negotiation strategy. However, increasing contractual control governance for a buyer-supplier dyad with competitive relational experience will increase cooperative negotiation strategy. Contractual coordination governance reinforces the positive effect of cooperative relational experience. Through this study, we reach a better understanding of how and when contractual and relational governance dimensions interact; rather than whether they act as substitutes or complements as has been studied in prior research. We discuss the implications of these findings for the field of supply chain management.

The paper examines the relationships between the power of suppliers and buyers and the profitability of sellers who are situated in supply chains between both sets of firms. A review of the literature on power in exchange relations shows there are several power concepts which may have a different impact on seller profitability and whose impact possibly can offset each other. This may be the source of the conflicting evidence on this topic. A failure to distinguish among the concepts may also lead to an underestimation of industry effects relative to resource effects as drivers of firm profitability. The paper uses a new data base of the Banque de France on French manufacturing industry. The anlayses examine whether different power concepts may be empirically identified and what their relationships are with seller profitability. The findings point to the existence of multiple power concepts and indicate that, in the sample, industry effects are more important than firm effects (as measured by relative market share) in explaining seller profitability. The findings also suggest that buyer power explains a much larger percentage of the variance in seller profitability than supplier power. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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This paper examines how firms may learn to better time their capacity expansion decisions through their own and their rivals' past experiences. A review of the literature shows that there may be several reasons for firms to bunch their capacity additions or ‘hop on an investment bandwagon.’ These reasons include coordinating through maintaining market shares, information effects, and decision‐making biases. Given the substantial evidence of organizational learning, firms may be expected to improve their timing skills of capacity additions through their previous capacity expansion experience. Hypotheses are developed both for proprietary learning and learning at the industry level, and for forgetting. These hypotheses are tested on a database consisting of 72 companies operating in the petrochemicals industry in the United States, Europe, and Japan from 1975 to 1995. The results indicate that learning in timing capacity expansion decisions comes primarily from within firms through an accumulation of their poor outcomes. However, this timing skill is far more apparent in greenfield than incremental expansion decisions. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Forest carbon sequestration is considered one of the most efficient strategies for climate change mitigation, and forests provide significant carbon storage in the United States. Non-industrial private forest (NIPF) ownership is the dominant ownership group in the southern US, but little is understood about landowners" willingness to manage forests for carbon sequestration. This study examines NIPF landowner willingness to delay final timber harvest for additional carbon sequestration despite unknowns about positive or negative impacts to profitability that result from carbon price fluctuations. Survey data from 735 landowners in the southern United States were used to estimate a probit model analyzing their participation behavior. Landowner willingness to participate in carbon sequestration practices was 55%, 25%, and 16% when such practices were more profitable, revenue neutral or less profitable than timber management only, respectively. Although many landowners would require a significant monetary incentive to participate in carbon sequestration, others would participate with little or no incentive. Those having recreational goals for their property were the most likely group to participate in carbon sequestration. Management changes (i.e., management plan and verification requirements) and carbon revenue were the two most important determinants of their probability of participation. In