Interorganizational Cooperation: The Role of Information Technology an Empirical Comparison of U.S. and Japanese Supplier Relations
Authors: Bensaou, M.
Journal: Information Systems Research (1997)
DOI: 10.1287/isre.8.2.107
<jats:p> This paper explores the comparative and cumulative influence of a number of factors on the perceived level of cooperation in a dyadic relationship. Drawing upon the transaction costs economics, organization theory and information systems literatures, we hypothese three sets of key influences: (1) factors exogenous to the relationship, i.e., the characteristics of the environment within which the relationship operates, and factors endogeneous to the relationship including (2) economic and behavioral characteristics of the relationship, and (3) interorganizational information technology applications. These factors have been independently examined in separate research streams. A key contribution of this study is therefore to conceptually and empirically capture their collective influence on cooperation. </jats:p><jats:p> We empirically test the five hypotheses we develop within the context of buyer-supplier relationships in the U.S. and Japanese automobile industries. Multiple regressions conducted on a data set of 447 distinct relationships indicate that the relational characteristics (i.e., the behavioral climate of the relationship) are the most robust predictor of cooper…