Perceptions of Supplier Opportunism in Turkey: The Role of
Bounded Rationality in Buyer-Supplier Governance
Economics and Administrative Sciences
ABSTRACT
Business to business (B2B) marketing is an important component of marketing in Turkey due to the large volume of B2B
transactions taking place in many industries. An example of this is the the automotive industry where a huge volume
of transactions take place between the automotive manufacturers and the suppliers (most of which are based in Turkey)
(Wasti and Wasti 2008; Wasti 1998; Akbulut 1997; Azcanlı 1995; Erdoğdu 1999). A key issue in these B2B relationships
between manufacturers and suppliers is how to best govern the relationships to the benefit of all parties involved. These
governance decisions are made by managers in response to the actions and behaviors of partner firms. The extant marketing
literature notes that suppliers on occasion appear to engage in opportunistic behavior involving breaches of contract and
one challenge facing managers in manufacturer firms is how to deal with these breaches. This study will examine why some
managers in manufacturer firms react differently when exposed to the same types of behavior by a supplier. This study will
integrate insights from transaction cost economics and attribution theory to explain the differences in responses. Specifically,
employing attribution theory, the study examines differences in the determination of opportunistic behavior based upon
controllability perceptions, repeated behaviors on perceptions of behavior stability and its influence on governance outcome
decisions. The two-step study utilizes both qualitative and quantitative techniques. In the first step of the study, a qualitative
study will be undertaken involving detailed interviews with procurement managers in manufacturing firms to help develop
an experimental scenario. In the following step, an experiment will be conducted with 240 procurement managers across
different industries in order to test our hypotheses. This study will take two years to complete and will provide greater insights
into how managers govern their relationships with suppliers. Project deliverables will include publications in indexed and
peer-reviewed academic journals and conference presentations at both the national and international level. Our project team
consists of Assistant professor Steven H. Seggie (Principal Investigator, Özyeğin University), and Associate Professor Koen
Pauwels (Research Associate, Özyeğin University).
Yrd. Doç. Dr.
Steven Head Seggie
DEPARTMENT
Economics and
Administrative Sciences
CONTACT
[email protected]
FUNDING SCHEME
TÜBİTAK 3501
START DATE
15.03.2010
2010 National Grants
DURATION
15 months
OZU BUDGET
69,925.00 TL
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