Collaborators: Zsófia Tóth and Jan Dul

We study the supplier management of a world-class provider of integrated power systems, propulsion solutions and other services that developed a strong position in civil aerospace. As in the aerospace industry the entry barriers and the need for continuous innovation are high, the company needs to make relationship-specific investments to forge relationships with existing and potential future suppliers. In order to allocate resources most effectively, the strategic consideration of supplier attractiveness based on past experiences, future expectations, risks and dependencies is vital. Based on an extensive general literature review of potential drivers of supplier attractiveness we formulate hypotheses on necessary conditions and sufficient configurations to be tested in the company’s setting. After in-depth interviews of senior managers / executives at the company and other data collection approaches we apply NCA and fsQCA to test the hypotheses.