SUPPLIER COLLABORATION PRACTICES AND PRODUCT INNOVATION MANAGEMENT

Abstract

The study assessed the effect of supplier collaboration on product innovation. In addition, most studies that examine the relationship fail to highlight the effect of the individual practices of supplier collaboration on product innovation, and are on developed nations. A descriptive research design and a cross-sectional survey approach was adopted to distribute questionnaire copies to the respondents. A sample of 29 firms was selected from a population of thirty-eight 38 big manufacturing firms and the analysis was done using descriptive statistics and structural equation model. The results reveal that product innovation is greatly influenced by supplier collaboration, however, only incremental product innovation is influenced. Radical product innovation is not influenced by supplier collaboration, though resource sharing practice influenced it exclusively. The study reveals the effect of exclusive supplier collaboration practices on product innovation and the model could be replicated in other developing nations to see if the outcome will be similar.

Keywords

• supplier
• supplier collaboration
• product
• product innovation
• manufacturing