Professional buyers and the value proposition

Lusch (2011) considers Service-Dominant Logic (S-DL) to be an appropriate lens through which to view supply chain research, and suggests it be used to better understand value. The authors, accepting a founding premise of S-DL that value is phenomenologically determined by the recipient, adopt a qualitative methodology to penetrate the inherent complexity and commercial confidentiality of the buyer-seller relationship. In particular the authors make a comparative evaluation as to how the wider, psychological needs of the buyer interact with the effects of the organisational goals of their businesses. The study uses a longitudinal research design, involving web-based diaries and follow-up interviews to develop the empirical understanding of the dominant patterns of buyer value perception that, within the context of the investigation, both challenge extant thinking and informs the debate regarding the approaches to combining value creation and value capture (Skilton, 2014). The explanations offered suggest that exchange value achieves a greater buyer focus than utility value, and acknowledges the relative importance of buyer value perceptions that are not directly aligned with organisational objectives. These findings, it is argued, may cause organisations to reflect on their procurement policies and procedures as they seek to engage with potential suppliers.