Supplier Base Dynamics. A case study of a buying firm during five decades.

Paper in proceeding, 2018

This paper reports a longitudinal study of the development of the supplier base of a firm between 1964 and 2015.
The results show that the supplier base changes considerably over time, while few changes are observed from one year to the next.
The changes are explained by factors related to purchasing policy, relationship effects and technical modifications.
Conclusions regard supplier base dynamics and variety and methodological implications.