Lars-Erik Gadde is Professor of Industrial Marketing at Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden. Håkan Håkansson is Professor of Marketing at BI Norwegian School of Management, Oslo, Norway. Göran Persson is Professor of Business Logistics at BI Norwegian School of Management, Oslo, Norway.

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• Preface viiPART I SUPPLY NETWORK CHALLENGES 1Chapter One Purchasing Faces New Challenges 3The Significance of the Supply Side 4Purchasing as Isolated Buying Decisions 5Purchasing as Management of Supply Networks 8Rethinking Purchasing 14The Aims and Outline of the Book 17Chapter Two The Supplier Base 19Basic Characteristics of the Supplier Base 20Window Manufacturer Ltd and Its Supplier Base 22Analysing the Supplier Base 26Key Challenges in the Handling of the Supplier Base 29Implications for the Supply Side 34Chapter Three Physical Flows in Supply Networks 37The Impact of the Flow of Goods 37Basic Characteristics of Physical Flows 39Physical Flows in AlLight Limited 42Key Challenges in the Handling of Physical Flows 45Implications for the Supply Side 51PART II SUPPLY NETWORK ANALYSIS 53Chapter Four Purchasing and the Combining of Resources 55Central Features of Resources 56Resource Combining 58Recombining Through Resource Cooperation 68Recombining Through Resource Confrontation 71Dynamic Resource Structures and the Role of Purchasing 76Chapter Five Purchasing and the Configuring of Activities 81Central Features of Activities 82Configuring of Activities 83Reconfiguring Through Changing Similarities 94Reconfiguring Through Changing Complementarities 98Efficient Activity Configurations and the Role of Purchasing 101Chapter Six Purchasing and the Positioning of Actors 105Central Features of the Actor Layer 106Positioning in the Actor Layer 109Repositioning Through Interaction in a Relationship 120Repositioning Through Networking in the Supplier Base 123Interactive Positioning and the Role of Purchasing 126PART III SUPPLY NETWORK STRATEGIES 131Chapter Seven Relating – Developing Relationships with Suppliers 133Relationships Matter 134Characteristics of Buyer–Supplier Relationships 136Perspectives on Relationships 145Relating in Supply Networks 153Relating and the Supplier Base 161Relating and Physical Flows 164Chapter Eight Bounding – Setting the Border around the Buying Firm 169Boundaries Matter 170Make or Buy? – An Old Decision in a New Light 173Bounding in Supply Networks 176Bounding and the Supplier Base 189Bounding and Physical Flows 191Chapter Nine Organising – Designing Internal–External Couplings 195Organising Matters 196Internal Organising 197External Organising 199Organising in Supply Networks 208Organising and the Supplier Base 222Organising and Physical Flows 224Chapter Ten Strategising – Applying the Supply Network Perspective 227Step 1: Interpreting the Current Approach to Purchasing 228Step 2: Determining the Objectives – Identifying Key Outcomes 229Step 3: Determining the Network Strategy 231Step 4: Calibrating the Elements of Strategy 234Step 5: Restructuring the Supply Network 238Epilogue 241References 245Index 255