Beschreibung:
Many managers today make decisions to utilize external business-to-business (B2B) suppliers for goods, services, and supply chain services. The frequency of supply disruption from goods/service providers can be surprisingly high. However, B2B suppliers' reactions to supply disruptions are underexamined. This research explores how suppliers can implement verbal and/or substantive responses to cope with a supply disruption, which is also regarded as a form of B2B service failure. Using data from firms in China, we use a fuzzy-set analysis method to identify diverse response tactic configurations associated with successful and unsuccessful recovery outcomes. We provide empirical evidence that B2B suppliers' response effectiveness is associated with the severity of the disruption, the buying firm's attribution of the disruption, and the supply environment. We show that B2B supplier apologies are effective in coping with unstable competence-based disruptions (i.e., disruptions perceived to be due to suppliers' infrequent competence issues), while responses to integrity-based disruptions (i.e., disruptions attributed to suppliers' integrity issues) should be made when supplier dependence is high. With high dependence on the B2B supplier, a victimized buyer's damaged perception of supplier integrity is more likely to be repaired; thus, it is effective for the supplier to take substantive actions. Additionally, our results indicate that when the buyer is highly dependent on the supplier, the negative outcomes generated by the integrity-based disruption are easily forgiven, perhaps out of necessity. In this case, it is feasible for the supplier to apologize for the disruption event. Our findings have salient implications for supplying firms when handling goods/service supply disruptions.Many managers today make decisions to utilize external business-to-business (B2B) suppliers for goods, services, and supply chain services. The frequency of supply disruption from goods/service providers can be surprisingly high. However, B2B suppliers' reactions to supply disruptions are underexamined. This research explores how suppliers can implement verbal and/or substantive responses to cope with a supply disruption, which is also regarded as a form of B2B service failure. Using data from firms in China, we use a fuzzy-set analysis method to identify diverse response tactic configurations associated with successful and unsuccessful recovery outcomes. We provide empirical evidence that B2B suppliers' response effectiveness is associated with the severity of the disruption, the buying firm's attribution of the disruption, and the supply environment. We show that B2B supplier apologies are effective in coping with unstable competence-based disruptions (i.e., disruptions perceived to be due to suppliers' infrequent competence issues), while responses to integrity-based disruptions (i.e., disruptions attributed to suppliers' integrity issues) should be made when supplier dependence is high. With high dependence on the B2B supplier, a victimized buyer's damaged perception of supplier integrity is more likely to be repaired; thus, it is effective for the supplier to take substantive actions. Additionally, our results indicate that when the buyer is highly dependent on the supplier, the negative outcomes generated by the integrity-based disruption are easily forgiven, perhaps out of necessity. In this case