Buyer‐subcontractor relationships in the Italian clothing industry: An interpretive framework
International Journal of Operations & Production Management
ISSN: 0144-3577
Article publication date: 1 July 1996
Abstract
Examines, through an empirical survey, the nature of the relationships between buyer and subcontractor firms in the clothing industry in Italy. Starting from the identification of three classes of buyer firms (characterized by the different ways in which they relate to the market), develops an interpretive framework of firms’ strategies in managing subcontractor relationships. Shows that the buyer‐subcontractor relationship is undergoing a drastic evolution with the strategic importance of an “extended integrated production system” being recognized. Discusses how this ongoing evolutionary process is involving firms in different ways: the shift to an evolved buyer‐supplier relationship (characterized by a logic of integration/co‐operation), seems to concern only one of three classes of firm defined.
Keywords
Citation
Da Villa, F. and Panizzolo, R. (1996), "Buyer‐subcontractor relationships in the Italian clothing industry: An interpretive framework", International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 16 No. 7, pp. 38-61. https://doi.org/10.1108/01443579610119153
Publisher
:MCB UP Ltd
Copyright © 1996, MCB UP Limited