Linking order winning and external supply chain integration strategies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present empirical results of an analysis of the strategic alignment between order winners selection and external supply chain integration strategies. Design/methodology/approach – The research instrument is an international survey from IMSS II. It was applied in 23 countries. ANOVA was used for statistical analyses. Findings – The findings show that firms choosing to use price as an order winner do not show any significant difference in the extent of external supply chain integration. On the other hand, firms that use delivery, customer service, quality and/or flexibility as order winners present differences in the extent to which they integrate their external supply chains. Research limitations/implications – The results should be treated with caution as any empirical study due to generalizability concerns. The data do not necessarily imply causal relationships, which could be an interesting topic to explore in further research. Practical implications – The study highlights the importance of supply chain integration as a competitive competence, meriting management consideration and resources. Originality/value – The paper shows empirical evidence with a large sample size that some associations exist between external supply chain integration and order winning strategies.