Abstract: “The majority of research work that explore performance variation in buyer-supplier relations based on social capital theory only concentrate on relational dimension and/or structural dimension, which might limit their theoretical contributions. In this study, we take a more holistic view to develop a research model based on the social capital theory to investigate how social capital elements result in desired buyer (manufacturer) performance behind the supply chain integration strategy. In addition, we will also look into the effects of two resource capabilities, supplier flexibility and supplier collaboration, resulted from suppliers relationship-specific investments on relational capital. A sample composed of manufacturing firms from different industries in Taiwan will be used to test the hypotheses in the proposed research model.”

Keywords: Social Capital, Cognitive Capital, Structural Capital, Relational Capital, Buyer Performance