Agency-Based Supplier Selection: Developing And Testing A Classification Portfolio

While procurement has been seen as a cost driver of minor strategic relevance for a long time, this point of view is constantly changing towards an important organisational function in highly competitive environments (Monczka, Trent and Handfield, 2005; Leenders, Johnson, Flynn and Fearon, 2006; Mol, 2003; Cannish and Keough, 1991; Gadde and Hakansson, 1994). Especially concepts like Porter's value chain and the resulting idea of the purchasing firm as the centre of the supply chain set procurement on the agenda of top management (Porter, 1998).