Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-16-2020
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to understand the antecedents that influence supply chain coordination in the pharmaceutical supply chain using the transaction cost analysis framework.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from 156 retail pharmacies on their relationship with the pharmaceutical wholesalers are used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The findings of this paper show the importance of antecedents that are based on the transactional cost theory, such as asset specificity and environmental uncertainty. These antecedents impact the supply chain process coordination at different levels – transactional, operational and strategic.
Research limitations/implications
Future research may investigate additional antecedents using other theoretical lenses.
Practical implications
Pharmaceutical wholesalers are dependent on pharmaceutical manufacturers for the supply of products and face intense competition that results in lower profit margins. Given that the pharmaceutical industry is strictly regulated, the wholesaler facilitates regulatory compliance of the manufacturers in the distribution process by coordinating with them. But the wholesalers do also face a constant threat from the manufacturers, who could potentially bypass the wholesalers (disintermediation) and go directly to the pharmacies. To counterbalance the dependence, the wholesalers strive to achieve loyalty with the retail pharmacies. Through supply chain coordination, the wholesalers achieve efficiency in procurement for the pharmacies, thus reducing cost and improving their competitive advantage.
Social implications
Supply chain coordination in the pharmaceutical supply chain improves the safety and security of the pharmaceutical distribution system.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the supply chain coordination stream of literature. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to develop the three levels of process coordination in the pharmaceutical supply chain context. This paper shows how process coordination can be achieved between the dyad without vertical integration.
Recommended Citation
Jambulingam, T. and Kathuria, R. (2020), "Antecedents to buyer-supplier coordination in the pharmaceutical supply chain", International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 289-303. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPHM-08-2019-0058
Peer Reviewed
1
Copyright
Emerald
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Included in
Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons, Operations and Supply Chain Management Commons, Other Business Commons
Comments
This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, volume 14, issue 2, in 2020 following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version is available online at https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPHM-08-2019-0058.
The Creative Commons license below only applies to this version of the article. Any reuse must be done in accordance with the terms outlined by the license. To reuse the AAM for commercial purposes, permission should be sought by contacting permissions@emeraldinsight.com.