A conceptual framework for improving buyers’ innovation through cloud procurement technology. The mediating role of relational capital

Abstract

International markets are becoming volatile and uncertain, and companies which hope to survive must establish extremely responsive collaborative relationships with their suppliers. Companies have focused on investing in highly sophisticated information technology (IT) to facilitate supplier integration and foster the acquisition of knowledge conducive to innovation. This study aims to explore the innovation capacity of companies in terms of products and services, the responsiveness to demand, and the decrease in the life cycle of products through the use of cloud computing (CC) on the procurement process. The study will also investigate empirically the important role of internal IT advancement as an antecedent to integrating suppliers on firms adopting CC. Finally, we will analyse the mediating role of relational capital in this form of integration and its impact on the development of innovation.
Keywords: Supplier-buyer, Innovation, Cloud computing procurement, Relational Capital.